Lessons Learned the Hard Way
by MissdaVinci77
Summary: The BAU is threatened by a dangerous unSub holding one of their own hostage. What would each of them do to make sure their team member makes it home alive? Will they find him and how will Reid cope? Reid whumpage. I do not own Criminal Minds. Duh
1. And So It Begins

They knew something was wrong. Reid was never late. Ever.

The video they got proved their worst fears to be true.

The team had been working one of the most gruesome cases they ever had. The unSub would play a sick game with his victims. He would find emotionally broken families and abduct one of the favored members. He would then send a video to the family showing him torturing this family member. He said that if the family did not do what he asked, he would continue torturing their loved one.

His tasks would involve backstabbing and betrayal on the inside of the family. In some cases, the unSub had convinced the father to kill his brother so that he wouldn't torture his son. The unSub's goal was to ruin the family even more so than before.

The video ended the same all six times. The unSub told the family that they didn't realize what they had until it was ripped from them. They didn't understand that there is no such thing as trust and love. Then, the unSub would kill the kidnapped family member.

This all happened in about one week.

The BAU team had been in Portland, Oregon. They were investigating the case when one day, Reid was late.

And so this brings us to where we started.

An audible scream could be heard from Penelope Garcia's makeshift office and Portland's police station. JJ, Emily, Hotch, Gideon, and Morgan ran into the room, horrified by the scream, but even more horrified at the screen in front of them.

A man appeared bloody, bruised, and gagged. Chains were around his wrists and neck. Tears of pain and fear slid down his cheeks. This man was the BAU's Dr. Spencer Reid.


	2. I Want to Teach You a Lesson

To say the room was in chaos was a severe understatement.

Garcia was crying hard into her hands, but couldn't look away from the screen before her. Prentiss was still, standing by the door. In her mind, she was trying to remember the last time she had seen Spencer. She was in the process of leaving for the day. Spencer had said he just wanted to review the profile one more time before he headed home. He was the last one in the office. He was alone.

JJ joined Garcia and also began to cry. Spencer, her Spence, had been abducted. Again. It looked worse than the time with Hankel. Morgan swore loudly and punched the door hard. Spencer was like his brother, and now he was in this living Hell. They would find him. There were no other options.

Hotch had immediately began to rattle off orders, telling Garcia if he could track it in anyway and if the background looked familiar and if the authorities had been notified. He would do everything in his power to get his youngest agent back.

Gideon was silent. He stared at the screen, allowing the dread to fill him once again. His protégé, practically his son. Gideon remembered how strong Reid was the last time when he was with Tobias. If he was being truthful to himself, he didn't think Reid could handle it again. In fact, he wasn't even sure if they would get to him in time. He knew this unSub's game: he would take something precious to the family and cause the family to turn on one another. The BAU was a family, although not blood-related. He couldn't even imagine what the unSub would have them do.

The video was being taken with a hand-held camera. Breathing could be heard from behind it, and was that laughter? Spencer was looking behind the camera at his captor with eyes that appeared to ask, "_Why me? Why did you do this?" _The team could almost see the wheels in Spencer's genius mind turning, trying to remember if this fit the profile.

Then, the unSub began to speak, and the room quieted down. Morgan calmed down and went right next to Hotch, intense hatred in his eyes.

"Hello BAU!" the voice mocked. It laughed and was very cheerful, like Christmas had come early. "Look what I gooooot," it taunted, sounding like a five year old.

"Do you miss him yet? I don't know why you would. He's not one for company, is he?" A black gloved hand roughly grabbed Reid by the face and forced him to look at the camera. "Bet you didn't appreciate him enough, did you? Bet you didn't know how important he was to the stupid little team of yours until he's gone, DID YOU!" screamed the unSub, his voice getting louder and louder as he went.

He chuckled softly again. He then backhanded Reid across his face, causing him to whimper in pain. Garcia continued to sob as Morgan cursed again. Gideon felt his heart ache as he saw his son in pain.

"Ah, well. Isn't that how life goes? There's always the neglected one. The one who is taunted and mocked on occasion, isn't that right, Agent Morgan." Morgan cringed.

The unSub grabbed Reid by the hair, pulling his head back and zooming in on his tear-stained face. The team could see Reid bleeding from a gash on his head and a slit on his lip. Both eyes were black and blue and a new bruise was forming from where the unSub had hit him.

"I want to teach you a lesson, BAU. I want to show you what will happen to your 'family' when I rip away the most valuable member," said the unSub, scoffing over the word 'family'. Reid closed his eyes and another tear slipped out. He looked to be in an intense amount of pain.

"What would you do to get him back? Hmm? What would you sacrifice? Don't waste your time looking for me. You know if you haven't found me by now, you won't ever. Focus your energy on doing what I'm saying so I don't hurt your friend more than I have too."

Garcia was almost hyperventilating while JJ hand suppressed her cries enough to focus on Spence's face. He looked so scared…

The unSub's voice became business- like. "In the next three hours, you will receive another DVD with instructions on your first task. Your Dr. Spencer Reid will not look so good the next time you see him. Just warning you. We _all _need to sacrifice a bit, don't we? Maintaining the balance and order of things. See you then, BAU. I'll take good care of your little friend, don't you worry. Oh, and by the way, this isn't a live feed, so it's not traceable, Ms. Penelope Garcia."

The screen went black.


	3. Taking Action

"Conference room NOW!" shouted Hotch, looking panicked, something the team never saw.

The whole team sprinted into the room with a sobbing Garcia following. Three hours…three hours… the words taunted Garcia in the back of her mind. That SOB was hurting her little G-man this very second and there was nothing she could do about it…

"Profile. GO!" ordered Hotch, marker in hand ready to write.

"D-definitely abusive background, d-did you he-hear the w-way he spoke? S-saying he w-wanted to ruin the f-f-family, that w-we couldn't t-trust our f-family," stuttered JJ through her cloud of tears. Spence… her Spence…

"Overly confident. He said no one would ever find him and he knows he's right," said Morgan, a fire in his eyes. When he got his hands on this guy…

"Obviously male and in good health. He had to be able to take down a trained FBI agent. Not everyone could do that," said Prentiss, pacing the room. She didn't know Spencer as well as the rest of the team, but he was one of the kindest, sweetest, most innocent…

"This guy is meticulous and smart. He managed to study Spencer and know his schedule. He knew that Reid always stayed a bit late and was the last to leave. The abduction must have been quick or else the security guards would have seen something," said Gideon, hands shaking. He looked so scared…

"So this guy is a white male, probably in his late twenties to earth thirties, from an abusive background. He probably lives alone. It would be hard to have a room like the one he kept Reid in without a wife knowing," started Hotch.

"And it's definitely not a partner thing here. This guy is defiant and totally loves being in control. He couldn't handle a partner," said Prentiss.

"He's confident and looks down and loathes families. He's v-violent," stuttered Morgan, regaining his composure. "All of the abductions have been of local families, so he most likely lives in a close radius."

Geographical profiles were always what Reid did best…

"We need to get this profile out right now. Garcia!" said Hotch.

"Yessir!" jumped Garcia, tears gone and a determined look set in her eye.

"Check every security camera's footage. Figure out what car this man drives, how he got Reid, everything, okay?"

"On it yesterday sir!" Garcia sprinted from the room, bright yellow heels clacking the whole way.

"Morgan, go talk to the security guards, see if the saw anything," said Gideon.

Morgan didn't say anything, but left the room before Gideon had even finished talking.

"JJ, go handle the press. Make sure they don't know that the latest victim is a FBI agent, that would just give the unSub motivation," said Hotch.

JJ wiped here eyes and exited the room.

"Prentiss, give the profile to every officer you can find. This is a priority, tell them to drop everything else."

"I'll set up a tip line and tell JJ to get the profile on the news," said Prentiss, on the move.

Hotch looked at Gideon, noticing the man's unshed tears in his eyes.

"We'll get him Jason. Reid is tougher than he looks. He's proved it on multiple occasions," said Hotch, putting a hand on his mentor's shoulder.

"He's just a kid, Hotch. A kid who'se had the innocence beaten out of him. This is my fault. Everything," said Gideon, putting his head in his hands.

"There is no way you could have predicted this, Jason, you know that."

"I brought him into the BAU. He was too young. So young…" A tear slid down his cheek as the mentor allowed himself to mourn for his protégé.

Suddenly, Gideon stood up, startling Hotch.

"What am I doing, this isn't helping Spencer? I'll go watch the DVD again, to make sure we haven't missed anything." Gideon left.

Hotch stared after him, shaking his head. Why was it always Reid?

Spencer was shaking. This was worse than Tobias. At least Tobias tried to save him.

His head hurt. His ribs hurt. His broken ankle hurt. He wanted to go home.

But he didn't display his fear to his captor. He death-glared him, hoping to make him feel guilty for what he had done.

But Reid knew the profile. This unSub felt no guilt. Only joy for others pain.

The unSub laughed, his face hidden in the shadows.

"And how is my little doctor doing this lovely morning?"

Reid was gagged and couldn't say anything.

Suddenly, a fist flew out of the shadow, pounding into Reid's skull, making him cry out through his gag. The punches and kicks continued to fly, causing more damage to the already battered man.

_Morgan, help! Make him stop, make it stop, oh God, _prayed Reid. It didn't stop. _Gideon! I'm here, please come and find me. It's not that far…Garcia! JJ, oh God Prentiss!_

The blows came for what felt like hours. When it mercifully stopped, Spencer was barely conscious.

Then something woke him up.

He saw his captor's face and the silver knife in his hand.

_Fear not, our Reid does not die in this chapter _

_I'm not one for killing off my all time fav character ever._


	4. Fatigue and Epiphanies

Garcia called Hotch, telling him that she had the footage. JJ, Hotch, and Gideon were waiting for her when she got to the conference room.

"Okay so I checked every piece of footage from every single angle I could find. Good news and bad news; what do you want first?" said Garcia ridiculously quickly, setting up her laptop to display the footage on the big screen.

"Bad news," said Gideon, leaning forward apprehensively.

"It was way too dark to get a good look at our guy's face. He looked to be deliberately avoiding the camera, so I'm guessing he knew where they were."

"Shit," swore Hotch.

The team had never heard him swear before, so they looked up shocked.

Garcia was the first to regain her composure.

"However, I found out he drives a black or dark blue Chevy truck and I got the entire abduction on film, but—"

"More bad news?" whispered JJ.

"Yeah, no license plate was in front or behind of the truck."

There was a pause as everyone absorbed this information.

"Let's see the tape, Garcia," said Gideon quietly.

With shaking hands, Garcia brought the film up on her computer and sat down with the team to watch as her little G-man fought.

Morgan was ready to freaking kill the security guard.

He. Fell. Asleep.

Reid needed help and all that guy did was lay there, drooling. It was enough to drive Morgan insane.

"So let me get this straight: you had no idea anything happened?" said Morgan, incredulously and with great effort.

"Um, yes. I mean, I woke up when I heard some tires screeching down the garage, but I didn't see or hear anything important," stuttered the guard, looking ashamed and rightfully so.

"Wait. You heard screeching tires? Did you get a good look at the car? Did you see anyone in it?" said Morgan, getting excited.

"Um, it was a black truck, pretty beat up looking if you know what I mean," started the man. "I didn't see your friend, if that's what you're asking, though, I'm sorry." Yeah, he should be.

"What about the driver?"

"Yeah, briefly. He was young, 'bout late twenties, I'd say. Dark hair, dark eyes, um, but—"

"But what?"

"Um, there was something wrong with his face, I think."

"And that would be…" urged Morgan, growing frustrated.

"I don't know, but it didn't look right. Sort of disfigured, I'd say."

This grabbed Morgan's attention.

"Was it a scar, or a burn? You got to give me something," said Morgan. A disfigurement was good. Easier to find the guy.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't tell, it was dark and the car was moving so fast," said the guy apologetically.

"Yeah, that and you just woke up from your catnap," growled Morgan.

Morgan went to find Hotch.

If he hadn't been looking at Reid's desk as he walked by, he would have missed it. Morgan's desk was right next to Reid's.

There, sitting on top of a file on Morgan's desk, was a DVD.

Reid stared at the face of his captor, and he couldn't help but be slightly nauseated.

He had scars everywhere; across his eyes, down his jaw, across his cheeks. There was hardly a place left unscathed.

The scars left his face disfigured. His lip pulled down on the right side. One eye was droopier than the other and it appeared as if his nose was severely crooked.

Spencer whimpered as the man came closer with the knife. He braced himself for the pain, closing his eyes tightly and biting down on the gag. However, the pain didn't come.

The unSub was cutting off large chunks of his hair crudely. The unSub was aiming to startle to team drastically by Spencer's change of appearance, Reid discovered. Reid internally let out a breath of relief. It could have been worse, so much worse…

When the unSub was done, he looked at Reid for a minute, staring him up and down and making Reid uncomfortable.

"Maybe just a little more blood for our viewers, what do you say?" mocked the unSub.

Reid cringed.

Suddenly, the unSub's hand twitched and Spencer felt a hot pain across his cheek as the knife grazed the side of his face.

Reid stared hatefully at his captor when he realized something.

Spencer's gash matched one of the scars on the unSub's face.

_That explained some of the injuries of the victim's_, Reid thought, still breathing heavily from the pain.

Spencer watched as the unSub brought out his camera again. Reid stared right at into the camera the whole time, wishing that his eyes could give away his location and praying that Gideon would find him in time.


	5. Anger Management

Garcia, Hotch, Gideon, and JJ watched as the unSub went over to Spencer while his back was turned, getting ready to go into the car. They watched as the unSub called out to Spencer, causing Spencer to look at him, confusion in his eyes.

They watched as the unSub punched Spencer right in the side of the head, causing Spencer to cry out and whack his head on the side of the car, thus knocking him out.

They watched as the monster dragged Spencer a few cars down to his own truck, gag him, tie him up, and throw him in the backseat ungracefully. JJ whimpered as she heard the audible thud of Spencer hitting the floor.

The unSub fumbled around for a minute or two, and then came out with Reid's gun in his hand. He pocketed it and began to drive out of the parking garage, wheel squealing as he went.

It was done in about three minutes. He kept his head hidden from the camera the whole time. Spencer was only able to cry out once before it was done. He was completely taken by surprise. Never saw it coming…

The video ended and the screen went blank.

Garcia was biting her nails while JJ had a far-away look in her eyes. Gideon felt nauseous. Hotch was already planning their next step. He would have the local authorities see if they recognized the background from the first DVD, Prentiss would get a sketch artist, maybe the security guard had something---

"Guys!" Morgan yelled, bolting into the room, looking like he had seen a ghost.

"Morgan, what's the matter?" asked Gideon standing up worriedly.

Morgan didn't say anything, but held us a small silver DVD with a grim look on his face.

JJ let out a pained half-scream as she saw Spence looking at the camera.

He looked like he had been through Hell and back. He probably had.

He was slumped over in a way that suggested he had a few cracked ribs. His face was completely black and blue and his lip swollen. A disgusting gash was sliced across his cheekbone. JJ was taken aback when she realized that his long shaggy hair was now short and crudely cut. Why would he…

Garcia reached out and touched the screen, wishing that it was her junior G-man instead of an image.

Morgan was frighteningly calm. The only thing that gave away his true feelings were his eyes, which gave a new meaning to "if looks could kill."

The unSub began to talk.

"Hello my favorite BAU family! How are we holding up? Hopefully better than your little friend." A hand came onto the screen and brushed a strand of blood-matted hair out of Spencer's eyes, causing Spencer to pull harshly away and glare weakly at the unSub. Morgan growled deeply.

"It's time you heard the rules of our little lesson, don't you agree?"

"That SOB, he thinks this is a joke," said Prentiss, who had finished handing out the profile after adding the fact that he was disfigured.

"Number one: this isn't a group project. You will get tapes assigned to you individually with specific instructions on your job. Number two: If you tell anyone what your job is, I will kill the kid, but first I will make him suffer." The hand moved to Spencer's throat, tightening and causing Spencer to close his eyes and gasp.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit," muttered Gideon quietly, praying for him to stop. He eventually did, with a chuckle.

"Number three: if you don't do your job within 24 hours, Spency here dies as well."

JJ cried silently to herself. Spencer was staring at the camera desperately, as if trying to tell them something, but she didn't know what…

"Now, I know exactly what each of you are thinking," the unSub said rationally. "You're thinking 'How will he know if I do this or that.' Well let me tell you. Mr. Jason Gideon-"

Gideon looked up startled.

"-I know that just twenty minutes ago, you, Miss Jareu, Mr. Hotchner, and Ms. Penelope Garcia were watching the abduction of my little pal here."

Garcia breathed in quickly. How did he---

"I know that tough guy Morgan was just interviewing the sleepy security guard. A little temperamental weren't we, Agent Morgan?"

Morgan's face began to pale.

"And Miss Emily Prentiss oh, my my my. YOU were the one telling everyone about me, weren't you? About my age, hair color, past, FACE! DON'T' THINK I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!" roared the unSub, getting his anger out by punching Spencer yet again, causing Reid to cringe and have tears fall once again.

The unSub cleared his throat, regained his composure, and spoke in a completely friendly tone again.

"Ah, well. You may say whatever you like, no one will find me, and I guarantee it. No one cares about me except for you lot, so please don't waste your time. Now, a couple of you will be getting your assignment soon, and remember, I'm always watching. Remember Morgan, keep your temper, don't hit anymore walls, or your little friend might not be such a Pretty Boy anymore."

Morgan roared out in anger, but refrained from hitting anyone or anything.

The unSub chuckled.

"Say goodbye, Spencer," taunted the unSub in a childish voice. "Oh and I wonder, how do you think you will be able to figure this puzzle out when I've taken the brains of your operation? Just food for thought," sang the unSub.

The DVD stopped, causing the team to lose sight of their genius.

_Author's Note:_

_To everyone who has reviewed, I LOVE YOU! It's the best and you all rock!_

_Who do you think will get their instructions first…muwahahaha…just food for thought,,,_


	6. Tortured Souls

Garcia was in a bathroom stall, drying her eyes after her sobbing session. He was just a baby, and he needed to come home…safely.

She exited the stall, straightening out her bright outfit that seemed to clash harshly with her mood. She looked in the mirror and saw her bright red cheeks and running mascara. She couldn't let the team see her this way. She reapplied her makeup and ran her fingers through her blond hair, making it look presentable.

She left the bathroom considerably in better condition than when she entered after the second DVD. It had left her very shook up and desperate to find this guy and rip out his throat.

She was about to check the email tip line when she saw an old tape recorder on her keyboard.

She felt her blood run cold. Oh my God…

With shaking hands, she turned and locked her door, making sure no one could disrupt whatever she was going to do.

She sat down and just stared at the tape in front of her, dreading the voice on it and wondering what horrible thing he would make her do. She had to do it though, the team would understand. It was Spencer, her baby, her White Chocolate…

She picked up the recorder, and dreading the result, pushed play.

The voice she learned to loath filled the tiny confinement of her office:

"_You know, Ms. Penelope Garcia, you really do interest me deeply. The mother hen of the BAU don't you agree. And Spency here, he's like your son, I presume. But you know what? You know nothing about him. I've had him here for about five or six hours, and I bet I can tell you things about him you never knew in the years that you had him._

_He's better off with me, and I think you know that. You never appreciated him, none of you, but YOU Penelope, you're almost worse because you pretended to care. You're a liar._

_Tell me, Ms. Garcia, what would you do to protect your junior G-man?" _the voice chuckled, a certain glee in his voice, as if he could see the reaction he was getting out of Garcia.

"_Yes, I know your condescending little nicknames, I know all about those._

_Would you sacrifice your job? The trust of your 'family'? All so I won't hurt your little boy here too bad?_

_Prove it._

_Here's what I want you to do. Hack into the Portland police office database. Search for all the employee records you can get your hands on, and delete them all. When I mean delete them, I mean permanently. No one will ever see them again. Do you understand?_

_Remember the rules. If you tell anyone he dies. If you fail to do it in twenty four hours, he dies. I will know. I always know. And don't tell me you can't because I know how these things work, and I know it's possible._

_Goodbye, Penelope. Spencer here looks as if he wants to say a few words, but I don't think that's wise, do you?"_

The tape stopped.

JJ felt her heart skip a beat as she saw the tape player. She bolted to it, locked the door, and waited no time in pressing play. She had no idea how long it had been sitting here, but she could have sworn it wasn't here just an hour ago…

The voice started:

"_The beautiful Miss Jennifer Jareu; you know, I think our little friend here has a thing for you. But what have you done? Rejected him, ignored him, and forced the two of you to be friends. Families don't do that Jennifer. They love each other…_

_You're a tease and you know it. Don't play stupid, although for you, the dumb blonde, I doubt that's very hard for you._

_Hopefully these instructions are easy enough to follow._

_You are to tell the first newspaper writer that asks you about me that I am a recluse with no social life, job, or goals other than murder. You are to tell that you believe that I have stopped my killing spree and that I have left the country. You are to tell them that the BAU failed in finding the killer._

_To save you the trouble, you know, that is how this will probably end. For all you know, that could be true! But how would you know? You are no closer to finding me than you are to having a happy family._

_How does it feel to know you failed?_

_Remember the rules Jennifer, because I will kill him, have no doubt. Don't worry, you'll never have to worry about facing Spencer again."_

It ended.

And when the first newspaper reporter came up to her, she told him exactly what the unSub wanted her to.

Spencer was alone. The unSub had left with the two tape recorders after he had finished leaving messages for JJ and Penelope.

Spencer wanted so bad to talk to them, to give them a clue, to tell them what he knew, to tell them to not compromise the case…

Spencer waited a couple hours before the unSub came back and ungagged him. The unSub poured some water into Spencer's mouth, causing him to choke in the sudden coolness that covered his hoarse throat.

He coughed a bit and then looked into his captor's eyes:

"Why are you doing this to us?" Spencer asked, genuinely curious.

The unSub studied Reid.

"Tell me Dr., do you think it is fair for some to have a family and some to have hateful, loathsome people for relatives?"

"No, I don't. But by doing this aren't you proving them right about all the things they said about you?" said Reid, trying to talk reason into the man.

He was backhanded again.

"SHUT UP! HOW WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAID?" he roared, punching Spencer in the jaw.

He became calm again.

"I am just restoring balance, Spencer. Don't look at me that way. You know, we are two peas in a pod, kiddo. Unwanted, rejected, mocked, tortured, unappreciated souls. It's our job to bring down the people that hold us back. No more questions," said the unSub, re-gagging Spencer.

Spencer absorbed this information, trying to figure out how he was to use it to his advantage.

The pain in his mouth was making it hard, though.

_Author's Note_

_I know I have been updating like crazy, but finals are coming up, so I probably won't update as frequently. I'll try though, I promise_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	7. The Best

"Hotch, we've got a problem," said JJ, coming into the filled conference room, looking tired. "The newspapers have a leak. They said that the unSub has left the area and that he's done killing."

JJ figured that if she was the one who told Hotch, he might not think it was her fault.

And what if he did know? Would he say something and risk Reid's life? But by saying that the unSub left, it meant that the case was out of the local police's jurisdiction. They were off the case. If that was the case, then by the time they updated the new group of officers, Spencer would be dead, his time up.

JJ felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt. Hotch stared at her for a second before answering, "How do we know the unSub is lying about that? Is there any evidence to suggest he's still in Portland?"

This was not the response the team had been expecting.

"Um, yeah Hotch, the profile! He would stay close, where he could keep an eye on us. It makes no sense to leave when he doesn't have to," argued Morgan, looking confused.

"I mean substantial evidence, Morgan. In the end, a profile is just an educated guess. He could be next door, or he could be miles out of Portland. There's no way to know," said Hotch, looking deathly serious.

Morgan couldn't believe it. Since when did Hotch question the power of a profile? It was his whole life…

"I agree with Hotch," piped Prentiss. "I'm not suggesting we forget about him being in Portland, but we shouldn't rule anything out."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" roared Morgan. Do you have any idea how long it will take to update a new police squad, get the message out, and set up search parties? Days. How long does Reid have? Two days tops."

"I want to find him as much as you do, Morgan, that's exactly why we are suggesting this," said Hotch, unsmiling. "We need to find him soon, we know. Alive."

Morgan wanted so badly to ask if any of them had gotten a message from the unSub. That would explain the madness. And Prentiss backing Hotch up? That was weird. They always disagreed.

But he refrained.

This unSub had to have them bugged, and he was not going to risk Spencer's life by breaking the rules.

But this was his family here too. Wouldn't they send him some kind of signal that they had received information? They shouldn't feel that they had to face it alone.

Instead of saying this, he bit his lip, and started up again.

"I understand that Hotch, but I know-"

"That's enough Morgan. We are going to inform other authorities. As of now, Portland will not be viewed as the primary location."

"Hotch, you gotta be kidd-"

"I SAID ENOUGH!" roared Hotch.

Morgan stopped mid-sentence. Hotch never lost his temper.

"That's the end of this discussion," said Hotch, as we walked out of the room, leaving a speechless team behind him.

Hotch closed his temporary office door closed and sank down into his chair, head in his hands, feeling ready to cry.

He shouldn't have lost his temper, Morgan was right, so right…but he was doing it for Reid. They needed to find him alive. They had to…

Hotch had gotten the tape about two hours ago. He had listened as he heard Reid struggling in the background and the unSub electrocuting him, it sounded like. He had listened to the unSub call Hotch degrading, unworthy, and backstabbing.

He had been called a liar, and awful team leader, and selfish.

And after what Aaron had just done, he couldn't argue any of those points.

The unSub wanted Aaron to take off with the false profile and lies that Hotch knew deep down that JJ had been forced to give the press. He was to give the job to other authorities. The unSub was buying time.

What could he do? If he refused, he would have lost his youngest team member, the member he always tried extra hard to protect from the dangers of the profiling job.

So he became a liar, awful team leader, and selfish man.

This unSub managed to bring out the worst in everyone.

Emily knew Morgan was angry with her, and she couldn't blame him. She was furious with herself as well.

She was told on the tape that she had to support the false profile, causing the remaining members of the team to be outnumbered.

She did it for Reid, didn't Morgan understand that? She wanted Spencer home safe so badly…she couldn't imagine what the unSub was doing to him.

The unSub had told her she was egotistical and always had to have the upper-hand on everyone. Was he right? Was she really like that? The more she thought about it, the more she thought he might be. But weren't all the members of the team? He was singling her out, when the rest of the team had other qualities way worse than hers. Hotch was infuriatingly demanding, Morgan had serious anger issues, Garcia was-

What was going on? Why was she listening to this maniac? This was what he wanted. He wanted her to turn on the BAU, her family.

She felt nauseatingly guilty. How could she think such things…?

Reid would have seen the sense in all of this. He was too good to turn on his family.

Which was exactly why the unSub took him: the best of them all.

Morgan was seething. Why would they do that? If they wanted to help Spencer, surely they would have-

Morgan accidently knocked over a cup of dark coffee onto the tan rug as he passed through the officer's desks.

Fantastic.

"God, I'm sorry man, that's my bad," Morgan apologized to the young man sitting at the desk.

The man sighed. "It's no big deal. I'll get it."

"Can't you just get the janitor?" asked Morgan, not wanting to cause the kid any more trouble.

"Our old guy quit and I don't know the new guy's extension."

Great, on top of it all, now Morgan felt guilty.

Reid twitched on the floor, the aftermath of the electrocution finally wearing off. He could feel his fingers regaining feeling, which was not necessarily a good thing. They hurt so bad…

He wanted to go home. He missed Gideon, JJ, Garcia, even Morgan…and his mom. What would she do if he died?

He _needed _to get home. He _was not _going to die.

He thought as he lay on the floor in agony. There had to be a way, something he could use to communicate, something he could sign…

He had it. If only he could get to Gideon-

"You ready Pretty Boy?" asked the unSub. Spencer cringed at the man's use of Morgan's teasing nickname.

No he was not ready. He hurt so bad…so much worse than with Tobias.

Before he knew what was going on, he felt the knife on his jaw, gashing it. With a hot burst of excruciating pain, the unSub buried the metal tip into Reid's upper arm, causing him to cry out in agony, hot tears cascading down his bloody face.

He laid on the floor, shaking and crying, when the unSub heaved him up and placed him on the chair, bringing out the camera.

He needed to get to Gideon…

_Author's Note_

_I'm trying to type the chapters at night and post them. We'll see how that works out._

_What do you think? How's the Junior G-man holding up? Do you think he'll mind if I borrow his brain for my biology final? _

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	8. Fun

Spencer had a hunch. He wasn't sure if it was true, but it was better than nothing. If he could get the message across, then maybe Gideon and the team would be able to look into it. Maybe they could get him out…

Reid's captor always left with the instructions and DVD's. He didn't send them, like one normally would. He physically brought them to the BAU team. Therefore, he had to be able to get in, right? So that would mean…

The unSub sat him down on the chair roughly, putting a thick piece of duct tape across his mouth. Spencer winced as the unSub pressed on his wounded jaw.

"Now do me a favor, kiddo," said the unSub, pulling on a handful of Reid's hair. "Be convincing. BE THEATRICAL! We don't want your team thinking you're having a good time, now do we? It's all part of the lesson."

A good time? There wasn't a part of Spencer that didn't ache. He was sure his ribs were broken and the gashes on his face and arm hadn't stopped bleeding yet. What did he have planned for the next video?

Spencer gritted his teeth and glared at his captor as the video began to roll.

Spencer began to get his message across…

…………………………………………………………………………

Gideon felt like punching something as he saw a DVD lying on a stack of folders on his desk. With a sinking heart, Gideon called the team into Garcia's room and stuck it in the player.

Garcia began to sob as she caught a glimpse at her friend.

His face was tear-stained. His jaw and arm were bleeding profusely and he was slumped over in the chair he was tied to, as if he didn't have the energy to sit up straight anymore.

But his eyes scared her the most. They were distant, dead almost…Reid was beginning to break.

"Not so pretty anymore, is he Morgan?" laughed the unSub. It was a gleeful laugh, as if he was having the best time in his pathetic life.

"Oh, my, funny how these things work out, aren't they? Now, I need to know," he said in mock seriousness. "Who is beginning to turn on the other 'family' members, hmm? Who is getting suspicious?"

Emily shifted her weight, feeling sick to her stomach. He was right…

"Well, at least I know your jobs are going quite well. And I've kept my word; I could have hurt the junior G-man much worse, couldn't I?" Garcia's eyes grew wide.

Gideon frowned; something wasn't right.

What was Reid doing?

He was blinking. Odd, because tears weren't falling from his eyes, although it looked as if at any moment, they might start up again. Three blinks. Pause…one more…pause

A code.

Gideon kept his mouth shut, waiting for the DVD to end before he said anything. He needed to make sure Spencer was still alive at the end.

"There isn't much of a point to this, I think. I just wanted to give you a look at your genius, show you he's still breathing and that I'm not a liar like the rest of you," said the unSub. "However, every film you get will show your kid here a little worse than he was before…"

The unSub brought a knife onto the film. Spencer had finished his blinking episode and stared at the knife, horror in his eyes, as the unSub brought it right to his face. Spencer winced as a thin line of blood showed.

"And you know, knives are so-boring. I think we'll need to change it up for next time, don't you think kiddo?"

Tears began to fall again. The team could see that they were losing their Spencer to the horrors the unSub displayed. He was breaking…

"Those of you who haven't gotten your instructions, you'll get them soon."

Black.

"Play it again, Garcia," said Gideon, seriously.

"Wh-what? Why, sir?" stuttered Garcia through her tears.

"Just do it. Spencer told us something."

"WHAT!" shouted Morgan. "Where? His location? A name? What did you see Gideon?"

"I don't know, that's why you need to replay it," insisted Gideon.

Garcia obeyed, hands shaking and tears still falling.

Gideon watched the whole thing over again, and then a second time. He grabbed a pen and paper and began to write letters down. E, M, P…

EMPLOYEE

"He works here," whispered Gideon, almost inaudibly.

"Jason, what did you say?" asked Hotch, paling.

"EMPLOYEE, he works here, that's what Reid is telling us," said Gideon, a smile growing. How hard would it be to find a disfigured employee?

"How can you tell?" asked JJ, eyes wide, hope beginning to show.

"It's Morse Code. Spencer once told me his mother taught it to him when he was a kid, to go along with a story she was reading to him. He spelled out EMPLOYEE. And wouldn't that make sense? That's how he can see us and get the films in," said Gideon, suddenly quiet. "Dammit."

"What?" asked Hotch.

"Whatever we say, the unSub can hear. He just heard us say that Spencer gave us a clue," said Gideon, feeling like he just killed Reid himself. What horrors would he face because of him?

"We can't focus on that right now. We need to find him, and now that shouldn't be hard," said Prentiss.

"Garcia, can you pull up the employee files?" asked Gideon, quickly.

Garcia had been quiet throughout the entire exchange. Now she knew the damage of what she had done. But she couldn't tell the team about her task, it was against the rules…

So she played along.

She went through the motions, coming up with the expected result.

Nothing.

"What's the matter Baby Girl?" questioned Morgan, dread filling his chest as he looked at Garcia's face.

"Um, there's nothing here," murmured Garcia, trying to act surprised. What had she done?

"What do you mean there's nothing there? It's just employee records," argued Prentiss, feeling her own heart begin to race. They didn't have time for this. Reid needed to be found yesterday…

Garcia tried a few more useless methods, already knowing the result.

"I'm so sorry," pleaded Garcia. "There aren't any files. They're gone."

"GODDAMMIT!" yelled Morgan. "The SOB is messing with us; he's taken care of everything, hasn't he?" Morgan was angry. "So, which one of you did it, huh? Which one of you had to do that?"

"Morgan, that's enough. We're already going to be inflicting Spencer with enough pain as it is, so don't go making it worse by breaking the rules," argued Hotch. He needed to control Morgan before he got Reid killed.

Morgan took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I don't blame you for doing it, it's just- God he won't ever be the same, will he?" asked a desperate Morgan.

Garcia was almost in hysterics. "He's tougher than he looks," she whispered.

"He survived Hankel," said JJ, remembering how they split up that fateful night.

"Spencer has gotten himself through some difficult situations before. He'll pull through, he always does," said Gideon.

No one truly believed that, though. This was so much worse. They didn't know how much more torture Reid could handle.

"Well, we know one thing, even if there aren't any files," said a business-like Hotch. "Morgan and Prentiss, I want you to go talk to some of the officers, see if any employees fit the profile." Hotch was whispering almost inaudibly. He didn't want the unSub to know they were following a lead other than what he told them to follow. "Tell them to be aware that he might have changed his face, so he may not be disfigured. But be careful and keep it down really low. For all we know, the unSub is in the building now."

Finally the BAU had a lead.

…………………………………………………..

Spencer heard his captor's angry roar from his computer room next door. He knew what was coming before the blows even began to shower.

He had never felt pain as intense as this before. He tried so hard not to cry, picturing the faces of his BAU family as well as his mom, but he couldn't stop the tears or cries of pain.

The unSub was roaring un-intelligible things at him; something about a code. So he found out…

"You think I'm done kid?" asked the unSub threateningly. "Oh, I haven't even started my fun yet."

The unSub leaned really close to Reid's bruised head and whispered, "Your cries are my fun, genius. Let's see how much fun I'll have."

Spencer felt his mind shut down as the "fun" began.


	9. Alone

Spencer couldn't breathe. He didn't know how long he had his head submerged this time, but it was taking a toll on his lungs. Mercifully, his head was finally pulled out of the ice cold water it had been thrust into.

Spencer sucked in a huge breath and proceeded to cough horrendously. Over the past few hours, he had been shocked, stabbed, kicked, and half-drowned, and the unSub didn't show any signs of lightening up.

A dripping wet Spencer was dragged down into what looked like a dimly lit basement. The unSub chained his raw wrists to an iron wall, giving him very little room to move around.

The unSub went upstairs and Reid could hear him shuffling about. But Reid didn't care…

He was exhausted and in agony. He hadn't slept since his abduction and it was taking his toll. He could barely hold his head up anymore, let alone sit up straight. His body was broken, bruised and bloody. Even breathing caused him to moan in pain.

He had tried to fight, and tried to stay strong. His friends would be here soon, wouldn't they? How long could they stay on a case before it didn't become a priority anymore? It had already been a few days, and Spencer knew they had no clue where he was.

Spencer couldn't help but choke out a sob as he heard the unSub climb back down the stairs, a whip in his hands.

He stopped right in front of Spencer, pulled up a chair, and stared at him.

"I didn't want to do this, you know," he whispered, eyes looking into Reid's tearful, horrified ones.

Reid just whimpered in response.

"You don't understand, I was never going to kill you. You're different than my other captives were."

Spencer's mind thought through the haze of pain long enough to be confused at what was being said.

"You aren't like the rest of your family. My other prisoners were, only they were more respected. But you," started the unSub, standing up and beginning to pace. "-you are so different. You are so much like me, it's almost frightening.

Reid stared at the unSub, not believing what was being said.

"So how could I kill you? That would be like killing myself, as opposed to my father, or uncle, or brothers, or sisters."

_So that was why the unSub chose the people he did_, thought Spencer, breathing painfully through the broken ribs.

"But of course, I couldn't let those people find you, now could I? They would hurt you worse than I ever would." Reid begged to differ. The fire in his arm from the stab wound defended his point. Did Morgan ever stab him with a knife?

"No, I'm going to take you away. I can't kill you, you're too special," said the unSub, who had stopped pacing and stared at Reid in a way that made him incredibly uncomfortable.

Suddenly, the unSub's face turned into a mask of anger again that only meant one thing; Reid was going to hurt again.

"But that wasn't enough, was it? YOU DON'T REALIZE WHAT THOSE PEOPLE ARE DOING TO YOU! They are the ones killing you, not me! But you had to go and tell that- that _Gideon-"_ he said the word as if it disgusted him. "-something about me, something that could have you taken away from me. But you are _mine! I _am the one who is saving you. _I _am the one who is helping you. And _you _go and betray my trust like that?"

The unSub fiddled with something in his pocket before setting in down on the table. It was too dark for Reid to distinguish what it was.

"I may not want to hurt you, but it's the only way for you to learn obedience. Not only will it teach you a lesson, but maybe it'll teach the BAU to keep to the rules."

The unSub reached forward and ungagged Reid, and removed the shirt from his body, leaving Reid shivering and unsure of what was to come.

Spencer heard a click and then felt a searing hot pain across his back, making him cry out.

Spencer fought, trying to get out of the chains and get out of the basement, and to avoid the raining blows that left him with stars in his eyes.

The team should be here, why weren't they here? Had they decided to leave him? Oh God, couldn't they make it stop?

"AH! STOP, PLEASE, I'M SORRY!" cried Spencer, tears flowing down his face as he sobbed into his arm.

They didn't stop.

"STOP, PLEASE. MORGAN, HELP ME!" Spencer didn't know what else to do. Morgan could make him stop. He could save him.

Crack. Cry. Crack. "AHAH! GIDEON, STOP! Make him stop, oh God, ah!" Gideon, his father, he could help. He would come down the stairs any minute now, and kill the unSub. Getting him away from Spener…

Crack. Cry. Crack. No one came. "HOTCH! HELP, PLEASE HELP ME. God, stop, it hurts!" sobbed Spencer, his voice raw and reduced now to a loud whisper.

"JJ, help me, I'm here," Spencer whispered into his arm, picturing her face, laughing at whatever stupid statistic he had just rambled off. "I'm right here, Emily, Garcia, find me, please. AH!"

Spencer could feel hot blood fall off his back and onto the cement floor. He gasped and wheezed for breath as his hair dripped from the sweat and tears rolling down his face.

After a few more cracks, it ended, leaving a sobbing Reid on the ground, knees pulled up to his chest, afraid to move because every time he did, a fresh wave of nausea and intense pain overcame him.

Spencer heard another click faintly through his exhausted sobs.

The unSub stared at him thoughtfully for a few more minutes.

"You brought this upon yourself, Spencer. You made me do this. Hopefully, now you have learned."

The unSub began ascending the stairs after pocketing whatever had been on the table.

He stopped, saying, "We'll leave soon. I'll get you out of here, away from those who try to hurt you."

The door closed as the unSub left Spencer along, in the dark basement. He hated the dark.

Where were they? Why didn't they stop him? He had cried, begged, shouted, and nothing happened. It was pointless. They weren't going to find him.

The unSub was going to take him away, from his family. The only family he had left.

A gut-wrenching sob echoed in the basement, as Spencer let the horrifying truth set into his soul. No one was coming…

…..

Gideon stared at the tape recorder on the conference room table. It wasn't instructions, so what was it?

…

_Author's Note:_

_Please please please please please please review! I will love you forever!_

_To all of you who have been reviewing, you are the absolute greatest._

_Pray for me, math and science finals tomorrow….oh my. I'll try to update soon. This story is so much fun to write. Don't you love cliffhangers? ( cough, Season finale, cough)_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	10. Abandonment

Gideon didn't understand. They had just received another tape only fourteen hours ago, and now there was another; a recording, it looked like. What did the unSub want the team to hear as a group?

Gideon rubbed his eyes as he called the team together in the conference room. He was tired and he wanted Spencer home, safe and sound, where he belonged.

He could imagine it already: They would find Reid, and with a little help, they would get him on his feet again. It had worked with Tobias. Reid would need some time off, maybe go home to visit his mom…he would like that.

"What's this about?" asked a curious Hotch. He didn't like the feel of it; it didn't really fit the profile. He wouldn't deliver more than one group message in a day.

"I don't know, but it might reveal something more about our unSub. Where's everyone else?" Gideon asked, as Morgan walked through the door.

"Emily and JJ are sneaking around trying to ask about recent employee's or employee's that don't show up to work often," Morgan murmured out of the corner of his mouth, while saying loudly, "They are sending out the new profile to other authorities."

Gideon just nodded as the two women, flanked by Garcia, entered the room.

"Any news on my sweetie?" said a flustered Garcia, still feeling extremely guilty about the files.

"We'll see, I guess," sighed Hotch, motioning for Gideon to start the tape.

"_I may not want to hurt you, but it's the only way for you to learn obedience. Not only will it teach you a lesson, but maybe it'll teach the BAU to keep to the rules." _It was the voice of the unSub.

"Wait, what is this?" whispered JJ, paling as she heard the unSub's threat.

Silence was her response from the rest of the team, all with wide eyes.

_Fabric was tearing, and the team heard a muffled shocked cry. _

It was Reid, Hotch knew it was. What was the monster doing?

_CRACK!_

Garcia screamed in horror to response to the blood-curling scream that sounded so much like their genius.

Gideon's blood ran cold…he needed to help him…

"_AH, PLEASE STOP, I'M SORRY!" cried Reid._

The team heard muffled sobs of pure agony. JJ put her head in her hands, trying to block out Spence's sobs, feeling sick.

"_STOP, PLEASE. MORGAN, HELP ME!" screamed Spencer to no one._

"Oh God kid, no, please," cried Morgan feeling tears fall for the first time since this whole ordeal began. "I'm so sorry, I'm trying, I swear," promised Morgan in a whisper. His brother…

More cracks and more shrieks. Emily could hear that Reid was trying to keep them to a minimum, but he was fighting a losing battle.

"_AHAH! GIDEON, STOP! Make him stop, oh God, ah!" Reid was gasping for breath, sobs racking his weak body._

Gideon let the warm tears overwhelm him, trying to make the nausea go away. He called for him, begged for him, needed him. And he let Spencer down. Spencer, his son, his friend. How could Spencer ever trust him again? He abandoned him.

The unSub showed no mercy, continuing the reign of blows he was dealing.

"_HOTCH! HELP, PLEASE HELP ME. God, stop, it hurts!" prayed Spencer, alone._

Hotch's blood ran cold as he heard his team member cry for him to make it go away. He was breaking, losing it, and Hotch couldn't stop it.

Racking sobs filled the tape player. Spencer was losing his voice, screaming it raw.

The team heard Reid scream some more, and he began to whisper. Garcia could swear she heard her name, as well as JJ and Emily. Garcia was completely breaking down. Her baby…so young.

Suddenly, she was furious. He hadn't hurt a single person in his entire life. She remembered him yelling at her for squishing a spider once, saying he probably had a family somewhere. He was the most innocent, sweetest, gentlest…

Spencer continued to sob into something, until finally, it ended and the team only heard whimpers of a breaking Reid as he tried to recover.

Emily didn't know how anyone would be able to recover from this. She knew Spencer was strong. He had overcome mild torture and a drug addiction. But this, this was pure evil being inflicted on an innocent young man. And they were no closer to helping him despite his desperate pleas.

They were abandoning him, leaving him vulnerable, injured, scared and alone.

The team went silent mid-whimper and Garcia broke down into Morgan's shoulder, who was also crying, looking miserable.

Gideon left the room, going into the bathroom, trying not to vomit. All his fault…his fault…

Hotch breathed deeply, staring at his dissolving team. So he did the only thing he could; he gave orders.

Very softly he whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Prentiss, "Keep up with the employees." He noticed his voice was shaking. Prentiss nodded, wiped her eyes, and left.

"Garcia, check everything about this tape. Manufacturing records, serial numbers, everything. Leave nothing left." Garcia got up, shook briefly, and took the awful damnable tape with her. She would find him, her baby…

"JJ, keep sending out the profile. This is breaking news, first story, everywhere." JJ showed no response, but left all the same.

Hotch sighed, and leaned back, trying to keep his composure. The way Spencer had called to him, and he had done nothing…

"Hotch," said Morgan tentatively.

Hotch looked up into the horrified eyes of Morgan.

"He won't kill him. You heard what he said. Teaching him obedience means he plans on keeping him for some time."

"But it's too risky to keep him in the same place so long," said Hotch, realization gripping him.

"Which means he is going to move him," choked Morgan.

Hotch knew that Spencer would know the statistics for finding a hostage after they were moved from their original prison. They were very low…

"We need to find him. Now," said Hotch, getting up to go help Prentiss. He works here, he was in the building, he would find the SOB no matter what it took.

He would not abandon his team, his family.

…..

Spencer laid on the floor, his blood surrounding him on the floor, shivering.

It hurt so bad…anything to make it stop…

The unSub had come back from his outing. Spencer could hear the faint footsteps of the monster upstairs.

He had come down to speak to the motionless Spencer. He had apologized and attempted to clean his wounds, but Spencer kept flinching and whimpering when those hands touched him.

He didn't want him to touch him…

The unSub had tried to calm him down, smoothing out his damp hair, but Spencer kept pulling away.

This made the unSub angry, and he kicked Reid, making him sob again.

The unSub apologized again, and again related himself to Reid, saying they were so alike and that he was never going to leave him alone with the BAU.

Spencer wanted to go home. He wanted his family; charming JJ, sweet Prentiss, brotherly Morgan, adorable Garcia, fatherly Gideon, and caring Hotch.

He wanted his mom.

Reid began to cry again as he heard those footsteps, making him flinch every time, never letting the emotionally and physically drained Spencer get a moments rest.

No peace…

…..

_I couldn't help the double update, I really wanted to write the team's reactions._

_Please Review, I will love you forever._

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	11. AUTHORS NOTE PLEASE FORGIVE ME

I hate author's notes, I really do. You're in the middle of a really good story and you think the author has updated, but alas, it is not true.

Although I will try to update in the next 24 hours.

But this is important, I swear.

I tried to reply to a comment and it deleted, so this is a universal explanation.

I can understand why some of you may be upset by the severity of whumpage in the story. I for one hate people hurting my junior G-man. And while I do hate people hurting him, there are a lot of good qualities that come forth during these kinds of stories.

The team tends to show so much more respect, compassion, and love for their team member. They show dedication to finding him safely and it shows them as a family.

And I promise: If/When Reid is found, he will not be crazy. He will end up being the same person he was, but it'll take time and help from his family. Another reason why I like these kinds of stories.

However, if you do not wish to continue reading this story, I understand perfectly and appreciate the time and reviews you have put into it. I cannot tell you how much it means to me

Honest reviews are just as good as great reviews.

Thank you all and I swear this is the last authors note I'll ever write.

With Love, MissdaVinci77


	12. A Lead and a Loss

Morgan sat at his desk, head in his hands, trying to make the cries go out of his head.

"_MORGAN! MORGAN HELP ME! Make him stop, it hurts-"_

Morgan groaned at rubbed his eyes furiously. Nothing he tried had gotten the sobs of his friend out of his head. He had tried to keep busy, interviewing any employee he trusted and tried to pry information out of him. He tried talking to Garcia. He even tried to sleep. The team was on shifts, letting each member have a few hours sleep before swapping with another member. They were working on low steam.

But Morgan couldn't sleep. He had almost drifted off when the screams started up again, begging for him to make the pain go away, to save him, to find him…

Morgan groaned again as he thought about how far away they were from finding Reid. They barely had any leads…

"Ex-excuse me, Agent," said a tentative voice from behind Morgan. Morgan turned to find a young police officer shuffling around nervously.

"Um, I-I know you're asking a-about employees, and I thought that I might have something that maybe could help you," said the young man in a whisper. He knew they were being watched as well. "I mean, it may be nothing, it actually probably is but-"

"Tell me everything you know," said Morgan, full attention on the man.

The man seemed startled at Morgan's intensity.

"Well, I heard Officer Clayton telling you about the new janitor and how the old one left a bit ago." He was still whispering so quietly that Morgan had to strain to hear his voice.

"Yeah, I remember, go on."

"Um, well, I knew the old janitor and he was really happy with his job and he told me that he had no intention of leaving, so I thought it was a bit odd when I was told he quit because he was sick of cleaning up after people."

Morgan had to agree.

"And then this new guy came and he was a bit-um, odd, I guess you would say."

"What do you mean, odd?" said Morgan confused.

"Well, I never heard him talk to anyone and he never smiled. And then, whenever he would be paged to come and clean up or something, he was never there. And then I would see him downstairs half an hour later. It's like he went somewhere and then came back again. He did this like three or four times a day."

This was a lead, Morgan could feel it.

The young man spoke again, twisting his hands.

"I've never heard from the old janitor again, though. I've called him a lot, but I haven't heard anything. I don't know if he is okay or not."

"I swear, we will look into your friend's case. Your information will help us with both investigations. Now this is really important: what was the new janitor's name."

The officer bit his lip. "Give me a minute, I only talked to him once before."

Morgan waited, breath bated, praying he would remember. Come on, just a name…

"W something… WALTER! That was it, Walter Collins," cried the officer, grateful he remembered.

Morgan sighed in relief. They had a suspect.

"Let me ask you one more thing; do you keep files on employees anywhere else besides on the computer?"

"Yeah, in the basement. I have a key, I'll take you there."

"Perfect," grinned Morgan.

"_I'm coming Reid," _thought Morgan. _"Trust me, we'll find you."_

…_._

Gideon just got a page from Morgan saying they had the address of a suspect. Gideon and the team were about to head over when Garcia came running in.

"Gideon wait! I think I have something," she cried, breathing heavily from her mad sprint across the building, trying to get to the team in time.

"Now, I traced the manufacturing number on the tape and I found out that this brand is made locally at a relatively new facility about 20 miles away," she began, talking fast.

"And…" urged Gideon.

"Well, since it's so new, it's only been distributed to a few local stores in the area. Three, to be exact. I looked up purchasing records in the stores and only a couple have been sold in two of the stores."

"And the third?" asked Prentiss, slipping her gun into its holster.

"There was a mass purchase of about thirty all at once. Now he paid in cash but the store is only four miles from the address you're heading now. I think this is him," cried Garcia, praying to every God she knew to bring her baby home safe.

"Let's get going now. We need to get him back soon," said Hotch, remembering that the unSub was planning on moving Spencer.

The team filed out of the building and into two black squad cars and raced down the highway, ready to find their genius.

…..

Spencer cracked open his eyes painfully as the light shone down on him from the doorway. The thunderous steps came down and Spencer felt rough hands fumble with his chains, causing Spencer to flinch every time he touched his skin.

"'Wh-what are you doing?" croaked Spencer, trying to use his raw throat that was exhausted from his previous encounter with the unSub.

"Shut up," ordered the unSub. He had an odd glint in his eyes that unsettled Spencer.

"P-please, stop. What are you-"

The unSub backhanded Spencer for the hundredth time since his abduction. Spencer gasped in pain, causing him to roll over partially on his mutilated back. _Please stop, please don't hurt me again_…

"I SAID SHUT UP!" roared the unSub. He successfully removed the chains and Spencer stared at dismay at his mutilated wrists and ankles, which were rubbed raw.

This was wrong, this didn't fit the profile. What was going on? Spencer whimpered, fearing the unSub would bring the whip out again, or something worse…

Before Spencer had time to contemplate this, the unSub surprised him and caused to recoil in disgust at his touch as he hoisted Reid over his shoulder. This opened up a few of Reid's scabbed gashes, causing more blood to drip down his back. Reid tried to stifle the cry in his throat, instead crying to the unSub.

"No, please put me down, I don't want to go," cried Reid, who now understood what was going on.

The unSub was moving him, taking him away. The team would never find him now…

In hostage situations like this, only about 42% of the victims were found. If they were moved, then the number dropped to 13%.

"I'm doing this for you, so again, I suggest you shut up," grunted the unSub, brining Spencer up the stairs and into a red truck, shutting the door. Spencer was too weak to fight back. He hadn't eaten in days and any movement of his arms caused him to be overwhelmed by pain.

"NO! STOP, PLEASE! LET ME GO! I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!" sobbed Reid praying a neighbor would hear him. No one did.

The unSub, who got into the front seat, turned around and punched Spencer, only causing Spencer to cry harder. Suddenly he was filled with anger.

"GODDAMIT, LEAVE ME ALONE! STOP ACTING LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO HELP ME! IF YOU WANT TO HELP ME THEN LET ME GO! Just let me go, you can't do this!" roared Reid, his blood boiling in anger. Helping him? Spencer felt the odd desire to laugh in his face. He was such an idiot…

"You'll understand one day," whispered the unSub, starting the car.

"NO I WON'T! STOP THE CAR!" screamed Spencer.

"I'll make you understand…"

Spencer let a hollow sob echo in the car as he drove away from his torture chamber.

…

"Walter Collins, open the door, FBI!" shouted Hotch, letting Morgan kick the door down. Emily called clear from upstairs and Gideon from the kitchen.

Hotch saw a light on in the basement and he began to creep down the wooden steps. He wanted to throw up when he saw what was left in it.

The rest of the team filed in, stopping in shock and horror.

Blood was all over the floor in the corner, next to sets of chains. There were signs of a struggle.

Reid was gone. All that was left was a note on the table.

…..

_Author's Note:_

_If I could hug you all, I would. Your reviews were the absolute best and made me smile tremendously. I will give you all a virtual hug! ()_

_I appreciate everything!_

_I also want to give a huge shoutout to one of my best friends, K.P., (initials, since I don't want to give a name on the internet), who has been totally awesome. Without her, this story would completely suck._

_Thank you all again for everything, and next chapter: what does the note say and will Reid manage to escape?_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	13. A Letter and Escape

_Hey, I have more time to update now since it's the weekend, so that makes me happy… Enjoy! And after the chapter, I have an important author's note at the bottom, so be sure to Reid it (haha pun intended)._

…_._

They had everything right: the location, the unSub's name…so why wasn't he here?

"He's gone," whispered Hotch, glancing over at Morgan, whose eyes were wide and mouth open.

"He moved him. We were too late," said Morgan, cursing himself and the unSub. They had been so close. He was right here probably an hour ago!

Gideon picked up the note and began to read:

_Dearest BAU,_

_Yes, we are gone, and if you had any common sense or respect for Spencer, you would not look for him anymore. He is mine now, and he is better off._

_You see, the similarities between the two of us are shocking: both underappreciated, both neglected by our 'families', both with troubled histories. I am trying to save him from the fate that he would have if he remained with you lot._

_I knew it was only a matter of time before you figured out his location, what with his little trick that he paid the price for. So I had to get him out of here and somewhere you wouldn't find._

_If you care for him, you'll let him go with someone who appreciates him and won't lie and hurt him like all of you do._

_So goodbye, and I know Spencer won't miss you once he gets over the initial shock._

_Yours Truly,_

_Walter Collins_

"Where did he take him?" asked a shocked JJ, trying to stay calm.

"That's what we're going to find out," said a determined Gideon. "Prentiss and Morgan, I want you to find out everything there is to know about this man. Age, height, birthday, past, favorite color, I don't care. We need to get inside his head, figure out what places were important to him."

"Hotch, do you think you can set up some interviews with the neighbors. I know the closest one is a few miles away, but it's better than nothing."

"No problem," said Hotch, who began to search around upstairs, trying to get inside Walter's head.

"Good. JJ, this unSub won't be able to come into the office anymore, so that means we can broadcast the real profile. He showed us already that he has no intention of killing Spencer. But he also has no intention of giving him back to us.

"Call Garcia and tell her to do a background check on Collins. Search for signs of an abusive or troubled past."

"Do you think he can still see us?" asked Prentiss.

"Um, I don't think so," said Hotch from the top of the stairs. "Call Garcia and tell her she needs to get out here. I found his tech room."

The team filed upstairs and entered the room. The stared in silence as they looked at their office.

Every inch of the building was shown, even Garcia, who was frantically typing away at her computer. Hotch made a mental note to be sure to take down the cameras when they returned.

JJ picked up her phone and dialed Garcia's number.

The team watched as Garcia answered her phone on the first ring.

"JJ! Did you find my baby-cakes? Is he hurt? Is he going to be okay?" stammered Garcia.

"Oh, um, no he wasn't here, but he was. But Garcia, do me a favor," said JJ watching in awe.

"What?" asked a disheartened Garcia.

"Turn to your left and look on the picture hanging on the wall. There should be a camera there."

Garcia looked over at them, confused, but got up anyway. She came closer to the camera and suddenly, the world tilted sideways as Garcia plucked it off the frame.

"How did you know that?" cried Garcia.

"Because we are watching you now."

….

Spencer had been in the car for about an hour, resting his head uncomfortably against the door handle. He had given up yelling and crying, because all it earned him was a smack.

As they were driving along one of the roads about 10 minutes into their journey, Spencer watched as two black police cars drove in the opposite direction. He knew it was them, and he wanted to scream out! He was here! Slow down!

But they didn't, continuing on their hopeless journey.

Spencer shifted his head again and he realized something. The door wasn't locked.

The road was pretty much empty since it was so late. The clock in the car read 2:26 A.M. Spencer looked outside the window into the dark and he saw that, next to the road, were trees. A forest, actually.

He bet that if he could get in there, it would be too dark for the unSub to find him. Maybe if he ran fast enough, he could reach a road…he could go home.

They were stopped at a red light, and just as it turned green, before the car could speed up, Spencer opened the door and tumbled out of it, landing painfully on his exposed shoulder.

But he didn't care. He was off and running through the brush, hearing the angry shouts of the unSub.

Spencer didn't slow down. His back was protesting and his neglected legs were screaming at him, but he didn't dare stop.

He ran for what felt like ages. He ran until he couldn't hear the footsteps behind him anymore and his lungs felt as if they would burst in his chest. When did he get so out of shape?

He was safe. He was lost, but safe, and that was all that mattered.

Spencer rested against a tree. He would wait until daylight, then he would listen for a road. He would try to stop a car-

Suddenly two huge arms caught him from behind and smashed the air out of him.

"YOU IDIOT! DID YOU THINK THAT WOULD WORK?" screamed the unSub, fighting with a struggling Reid. A hand was covering his mouth, preventing him from screaming out.

He fought hard, flailing his legs and throwing blind punches, until the unSub threw Spencer against a tree, cracking his head, and causing him to pass out.

Spencer was only dimly aware of the unSub carrying him back to the car, throwing him in, and locking the door.

…

_Author's Note:_

_Okay, so my computer hates my guts, and won't let me reply to any comments, so this is how I'll do it._

_Just to clarify, my author's note that was a chapter didn't exactly mean, "SMASH THE PERSON WHO WROTE IT!"_

_Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and nothing in that previous comment was disrespectful or hateful._

_I apologize if the person who wrote it thought I was bashing them when I wrote that note, but that was not my intention at all. I just wanted to say I understood and it's okay to not agree with everything I write. Please know that I didn't try to harass you in any way, and I completely respect your opinion._

_And to all of you who do review, I cannot even begin to tell you how much it means to me. I read them every day and it's usually the best part of the day. I respect everything you say and appreciate it always, so for that, thank you so much. Just be sure to respect others opinions as well, because not everyone will like my story. But that doesn't mean that I'll stop writing what I want and how I envision it._

_So I think the best thing to do is to just move forward and to not mention all of this confusion again. Communication is hard on these kinds of sites so I'll try to do it to the best of my ability._

_I love you all and you all rock. Next chapter will be up soon. (air hugs) Keep reviewing, and don't worry, I'll keep writing it in the same way._

_With Love, MissdaVinci77_


	14. Dead or Alive

Spencer groggily awoke from his fitful sleep, wincing as he felt the lump on his head. What happened?

Then it all came back to him; his failed attempt at escape, the blinding pain, the forceful dragging down into another basement.

Spencer groaned as he looked around him. The walls were gray and the floor was dirty. There was a cot in the corner that sadly he wasn't on; he was sitting chained to the floor. Besides a few pieces of random furniture, nothing seemingly evil occupied the basement.

Fear gripped Spencer's heart as he realized that his escape plan was going to cause him pain; a lot.

But the team wouldn't give up on him yet, right? They wouldn't forget about him, would they?

Spencer didn't have time to contemplate the answer because at that moment, the door to the basement opened and the unSub walked in, something in his hands.

"So the escape artist is awake," mocked the unSub, that awful glint in his eyes again. Reid whimpered and tried to bring his knees up to his chest. Not again…

"Did you honestly think you were going to get away from me that easily?" he asked, tilting his head to one side, eyeing Spencer up and down.

Reid only shivered and glared in response.

"Ah well," the unSub sighed. "I tried to tell you what would happen if you pulled something like this again. You must learn obedience."

"Please, I'm sorry, I won't-"

"Uh, uh, uh- too late for that."

Reid didn't even see the first punch coming, but it smacked against his right ear, making him yelp in surprise. The blows continued to reign on him for what felt like years until they finally ceased, giving him five seconds rest.

Reid panted heavily and tried to push himself up slowly when the hated searing pain sliced across his back again.

"GAH!" shouted Spencer. He looked back to the unSub, who was holding the whip again.

Again the unSub delivered the blows onto the young genius' back, making him sob raggedly.

He screamed again; for Morgan to make it stop. If Morgan was here, he would have killed the unSub. He would have stopped the pain. But Morgan wasn't here.

For Hotch, who would tell him it would be okay and that he was going to get him out of here. Hotch would find a way to get him out of here alive. But Hotch wasn't here.

For Gideon, who would help him think of a way to get himself out of this. Gideon always liked to make Spencer come up with his own solutions. He would save Spencer. But Gideon wasn't here.

For Penelope, to track him.

For Emily, to make the pain stop.

For JJ, to get the entire state to hunt this guy down.

None of them were here. They had forgotten him; left him.

He was utterly alone.

The unSub stopped mercifully. He took a moment to stare at his captive and take in his bloodied back, torso, and face.

"You can call me Walter," he said thoughtfully.

Spencer replied by letting out a moan of agony. But it wasn't because of the pain from the whip. It was because he had no family left.

…..

Emily and Hotch were still in the house when they heard a knock at the door. Emily stared at Hotch in confusion. Garcia wasn't supposed to be here for another hour…

Hotch went and opened the door only to find an elderly woman standing there, looking concerned.

"I heard that you all needed information about Walter, is that right?" she asked sweetly. " I heard it on the 6 o'clock news," she said knowingly.

Hotch welcomed her in and the three of them sat down in the living room.

"Mrs.-" Emily realized that she didn't know her surname.

"Samuels. Mrs. Samuels, dear."

"Mrs. Samuels, what can you tell us about Walter's family?"

"Well, he grew up in this house. Lived here his whole life. He was a cute lad, very quiet, extremely shy, barely heard two words out of his mouth," she started. She got a thoughtful expression, however. "But I knew his daddy. Never met a more miserable man in my entire life. Never met a more messed up family for that matter."

"Can you tell us what happened?" asked Hotch patiently, but silently urging her to hurry. They needed to find Reid.

"Where to start? Well, Walter's mom left the family when he was about nine, I'd say. It kind of turned the whole family upside down, if you know what I mean. The oldest brother became an addict. Crack, I believe. His daddy kicked him out when he found out. Another brother and one of the sisters ran away from home, and they never heard from them again. Walter's father was left with only Walter, who, according to his daddy, wasn't how a boy should be.

"You see, Walter is very intelligent. Top of his class and skipped two years. But his daddy wanted an athlete or player as a son, not a 'pansy' as I heard him once put it. He beat Walter silly, hoping to beat the smartness out of him, he thought. Walter's uncle took part in it as well sometimes. I never saw Walter much after that, but every time I did, he seemed to have accumulated more scars until at one point, I didn't even recognize him.

"Then one day when Walter was eighteen, his daddy disappeared as well, and his uncle. But Walter was legally an adult and didn't need anyone to live with him. Since that day, he has lived alone. I did hear he got a job at the police station thought," Mrs. Samuels put in as an afterthought.

"Thank you, ma'am, that was more helpful than you could realize," said Emily sincerely. "Now, do you know if Walter had any friends?"

"None that I know of. He spent most of his time alone at home or by the coast."

"Wait, the coast? Do you know where?" asked Hotch eagerly.

"I'm sorry son, I don't."

"That's okay," sighed Emily, dismayed. They were so close.

After Mrs. Samuels left, Hotch spoke to her.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That Walter's dad and uncle didn't go missing?"

"That we need Garcia to check our unSub's house records."

"I think this is it, Hotch. I think we got him."

Hotch didn't answer. He didn't want to get his hopes up again. It had been a week since Reid's abduction. The chances of finding him were so slim, it pained Hotch to even think about it.

But they didn't have any other options. Dead or alive, they would find their team member.

…

_Author's Note:_

_WE REACHED 100 REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU GUYS!_

_As a side note, to answer some review questions, this story will include Reid's recovery._

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	15. Without a Trace

Garcia typed furiously on her computer, searching Walter Collins' house records. Nothing. So she tried his father's records. Nothing. But the uncle had a shore house about two hours south of where Hotch and the team were stationed.

At that moment, her phone rang, and she answered to Morgan:

"Welcome to the vortex of supreme awesomeness, where the goddess of your dreams has just produced a miracle," she greeted.

"Alright, Baby Girl, tell me what you have."

"I have 114 North Sugarmill Avenue exactly two hours and fifteen minutes south of your present location. Why would Walter take by cupcake there?"

"It was the only place from his childhood that he felt happy and protected, and he wants our Spencer to feel the same."

"But he won't! He'll be sad and miserable and in pain-" Garcia choked on the last word as she thought of her baby crying on that God-awful tape.

"We know that Penelope, but Walter is delusional and paranoid. He's completely convinced that we are hurting Spencer and that he is better off with him."

"Hey Sweetie, do Penelope a favor?" whispered Garcia.

"Anything for you."

"Bring my baby home. I need him to be home."

"Already on it, Baby Girl."

Penelope hung up, wiped her eyes and gazed at the team photo she had on her desk.

Morgan had his arm snaked around Garcia and JJ's shoulders, grinning stupidly. Prentiss was behind them, putting up bunny ears behind Morgan. Hotch was looking at the spectacle with a bemused expression.

And in the back, Gideon had his arm around Reid's skinny shoulders as Spencer smiled shyly, his hazel eyes looking rather embarrassed at having his photo taken.

Garcia sighed as she held the picture. She prayed Spencer knew how much they all loved him.

_We're coming Sweetie…_

…

The team was racing down the highway at incredible speeds, lights and sirens flaring.

The over two hour trip took a little less than an hour. They looked at the cabin before them and fastened their bullet proof vests, pulling out their guns.

"FBI!" roared Hotch, nodding to Morgan, giving him permission to kick down the door.

With a shuddering thud, the door swung open.

"Clear!" shouted Morgan, motioning to the kitchen and living room.

The cottage was small, only one floor. There didn't even appear to be a basement. In fact, the entire cabin looked empty, showing no signs of life. It was completely abandoned.

Spencer wasn't here.

"This doesn't make any sense!" cried Emily, putting a hand to her forehead. "He has to be here. Why isn't he here?"

Hotch didn't say anything, but sank slowly onto a couch, closer to tears than he ever had been. Where did the monster take Spencer? He needed to be here…

The crushing realization sank into Hotch's stomach. They had nothing left; no leads, no witnesses, no more locations, no suspects.

Spencer was gone, disappearing without a trace.

…..

Walter laughed as he saw the cop cars outside his uncle's cabin. Did they really think he was that stupid? That he would bring his Spencer to the one location that could be traced back to him?

Well he wasn't. No one would find Spencer at the abandoned house that Walter modified to become their home.

He knew that the BAU realized the gravity of their situation. They had nothing left to work with.

Spencer was his, and they couldn't do anything to prevent it anymore.

….

Months passed by. The team only took cases that put them in close proximity to Portland. They weren't going to leave Spencer. Not yet, at least.

Gideon stared at Garcia's team picture. She had gone back to Quantico, a shell of what she used to be. A second didn't go by that he didn't think of Spencer. He knew that they would probably never find him again. It had been months, and nothing had developed. The murders had stopped, so Strauss had told them the case was closed.

But they never left the west coast. They couldn't leave yet, because Gideon felt that Reid wasn't gone yet. It was stupid, but his gut told him that his son was still out there, looking for him and the team. And if they left, Spencer would never find them again.

Strauss told them they had two more weeks until she forced them to take job in Florida. It made Gideon nauseous to think about it.

He gazed at his team, which was currently gathered in a conference room in Washington state. Child abductions and murders…

Morgan was quiet, staring at the board without seeing anything, but still gathering the information because he had a job to do. Hotch never smiled, grinned, or laughed. Ever. Prentiss submerged herself in her work even more, never giving herself a moments rest. And JJ never smiled like she used to when Reid rambled off his random facts…

Gideon didn't even want to think about how he looked. He couldn't help think that he was getting too old for the job. But he wouldn't quit. Not until Spencer was home.

The meeting was over. The team gathered and left. Gideon sighed. He didn't have the heart to tell them what Strauss had told him, so he kept silent and prayed for a miracle.

…

_Author's Note:_

_Fear not and remember my previous statements and promises. Spency will be found! Not in the way you are probably imagining though….._

_Muwahahaha don't we all like surprises! Will post tomorrow so fear not._

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	16. Giving Up

"Strauss, please, I'm begging you," continued Gideon, almost begging at this point.

"Gideon, I don't know how many ways I can ask you, no demand that you and your team return to Quantico this minute. You've had all the time you've asked for so far, and I can't continue having the BAU assigned strictly to the West Coast," said Strauss, her temper beginning to rise.

Gideon silently cursed her for being a cruel heartless woman. She didn't understand what Spencer meant to him, what Spencer meant to the team…

"I understand that ma'am," Gideon struggled, trying to sound somewhat polite. "I'm only asking for one more case. There's one in Montana that looks promising. JJ already reviewed it and-"

"Yes, Agent Gideon, as have I. And I can assure you that the one in Florida needs you much more than the one in Montana."

"I can't leave yet. He's still out there I know it. I can feel it and if you just gave us a bit more time-"

"What, Agent Gideon? You'll miraculously find him? Is that what you think?"

There was a long awkward pause before Strauss spoke again.

"Jason, please do not mistake me. I care for Agent Reid as well. He was a valuable member of the BAU team-"

"' Is'", said Gideon, quickly correcting her. "He is a valuable member."

Strauss sighed.

"No matter how you say it, he is a great asset to the team. However I can also tell you that if he was here that he would tell you the statistics of finding him are less than 4%. Tell me Jason, do you think he would want you to ignore other cases? Do you think he would want innocent people in the rest of the USA dying because of him? Because the Dr. Reid I remember would be furious, I think."

How dare she? How dare she use this against him! Spencer was out there being tortured by an insane psychopath, only wanting to be found. He would want the team to find him, wouldn't he?

Gideon knew the answer deep down. He knew Spencer would be disappointed in him, in the entire team. Not only did they fail to rescue him, but they failed in their jobs as profilers as well. All the cases they had ignored…

"Jason, are you there?"

"Yes," he whispered.

Strauss sighed sadly and Jason could almost picture her leaning back in her chair, rubbing her eyes. "It's time to come home Jason. Other people need you. And believe me, there is nothing I want to do more than allow you to remain out there and send the entire FBI with you, but I can't. Spencer would understand."

There she goes with the past tense again. Gideon knew the argument was fruitless.

"We'll be on the jet by this afternoon," stated Gideon in monotone, trying to stop his voice from quivering.

Gideon heard Strauss swallow. "Alright then. After this next case, I'll give you and your team some time off. I think you all deserve it."

Gideon didn't bother replying, only hanging up the phone and looking through the window into the conference room, where the team was waiting for the latest news.

…..

"NO!" shouted Morgan, standing up angrily. He had taken Reid's abduction very hard, barely interacting with the rest of the team, and getting angry easily. "I am not going to abandon him like that b**** wants us to!"

"Morgan, please," sighed Hotch, looking exhausted and putting his head in his hands. He looked very pale and much older.

"Are you okay with this, Hotch?" argued Morgan, who began to pace.

"Absolutely not. But Gideon has a point. What would Spencer do? What would he want?"

"He would want us to find him and bring him home," whispered Morgan fiercely.

"You know as well as I do that that is a lie," countered Hotch, looking miserable.

Morgan said nothing. JJ had been crying throughout the entire exchange. She had just gotten off the phone with Garcia to tell her where they were going, and Garcia was still sobbing when she hung up. Prentiss had remained silent, head bowed and hands shaking.

"I know that every single person in this room wants to stay here for as long as it takes. But we all know that it is impossible and that other people need us," said Gideon, mimicking Strauss' words without feeling. "I'm in no way saying that we stop. I know that I will not stop for a second until we find our Spencer. Every spare second I have will be spent on the phone with authorities or checking missing person findings or looking over the personal information of Collins again and again until we find something.

"I also know that everyone here loves Spencer and that this is what he would want us to do."

JJ let out a broken sob as Hotch pulled her into a hug.

"The plane leaves in five hours," whispered Jason, leaving the room.

He entered a bathroom stall, slid down the wall, and began to sob for his lost son.

….

Everything was ready. The bags were packed, the jet was ready for liftoff, and the team was loaded into the black SUV's that would drive them to the airport. The only person remaining in the conference room was Gideon.

He stared at the bulletin board that, until an hour ago, housed the pictures of their latest victim, and in the corner, a picture of their Spencer; waving awkwardly at them, brown hair falling into hazel eyes, and the left corner of his mouth turned up ever so slightly. Gideon remembered JJ taking the picture at the annual picnic the BAU team went to every August. Gideon laughed as he remembered how much Spencer hated getting his photo taken. But JJ had insisted….

He was as ready as he ever would be.

He climbed down the stairs rather than taking the elevator. He saw the SUV waiting for him and he was about to exit when he heard a voice coming from the receptionist's desk.

"Please, I know he's here!" the voice pleaded, muddled with tears. "He couldn't have left yet, please."

"I'm sorry, sir, but they just left. If you'll just have a seat-"

"No I can't! Just tell me, where did they go? Where did Jason Gideon go?" the man choked out.

Gideon sighed, deciding to go talk to him before his departure.

He observed the man from behind and he was taken aback. He was barefoot and his feet were bleeding heavily. His clothes looked too big for him, hanging off his scrawny form. His hair was somewhat long and tangled, and he leaned on the desk as if he was in pain just by standing up straight. His whole body was shaking.

It couldn't be…there was no possible way…

"Can I help you?" whispered Gideon, bracing himself for a letdown when he realized there was no way…

The young man swiveled around quickly and stared at Gideon only a moment before launching himself into his arms and sobbing hysterically, cries racking his too thin body.

Gideon sobbed right along with him, for the young man was his Spencer, home and alive.

…

_Author's Note:_

_This was probably my favorite chapter to write. I told you he would come home!_

_Please pray for me again; two more finals tomorrow…._

_Will try to update soon, promise!_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	17. Reunited

Gideon tried to calm the sobbing agent down, but there was no calming Spencer. He had a death grip on Gideon's shirt, as if he was afraid Gideon would dissolve right between his fingers. Gideon kept his tight hold on his son, refusing to let him go. He tried to avoid crushing him however, because Gideon realized Spencer's back was cut and injured, and he didn't want to inflict any more pain on Reid.

As Gideon held the distraught agent, he tried to let reality catch up to him. Spencer…he had been gone for almost eight months! How had he escaped? Surely Collins didn't let him go…

And how did Spencer know the team was here in Washington? Did that also mean Collins knew where they were?

The two reunited agents were causing a spectacle in the usually quiet lobby of the building, but Gideon didn't care. He just held his son, soaking the miracle in as he silently promised that no one would ever touch Spencer Reid again.

…

Morgan sighed. Obviously Gideon didn't want to leave, but neither did he, but he dragged his butt into the car. How long did it take to look at that place again? In fact, Morgan wanted to get out of it-it brought up too many painful memories…

"Should we go get him?" asked Prentiss gently.

Morgan huffed. "Yeah, I'll get him," and exited the car, slamming the door shut behind him.

Morgan stiffened as he saw a crowd was gathering in the lobby. What was going on?

Morgan saw Gideon, embraced with a hysterical, bloody, dirty kid who was shaking as if he had been doused in ice cold water. It took him a minute to realize who the man was, but once he did, he pounced on the two embracing men and felt his heart race.

"SPENCER!" sobbed Morgan, pulling him into a hug.

His reaction made Morgan step back cautiously.

Spencer hadn't realized Morgan was there, so when he was practically tackled in Morgan's bear hug, Spencer began to panic, thinking Walter was taking him away again. He yelled, frightened, and jumped back, whimpering, slightly behind Gideon. He was shaking so badly, it was a wonder how he stood up.

"Whoa, kid, it's just me, it's Morgan. I ain't gonna hurt you kid," said Morgan, holding his hands up in front of him.

"Okay, everyone needs to go back to work now. Break up the crowd," said Gideon, wrapping an arm protectively around Spencer. Gideon could tell the crowd was making Reid nervous.

Finally, the people began to leave after one called an ambulance to come and take Spencer to a hospital.

It took Spencer a minute, but he recognized Morgan and knew he wasn't a threat, and slowly, he emerged from behind Gideon, allowing Morgan to bring him into a gentler hug.

"Shhh, kid. You're alright, it'll be alright," comforted Morgan, pulling Reid in. How did this happen? Morgan felt his heart constrict as he thought that if the team had left just five minutes earlier, they would have missed him.

"Gideon, an ambulance is on its way. I'll go tell the team and have one of them call Strauss. You should stay with Spencer, try to calm him down before the paramedics arrive." Morgan knew that the paramedics would probably put Spencer into a minor panic attack…

Morgan sprinted to the cars, wrenched the door open, and spoke to Hotch. "You need to call Strauss now and tell her we won't be on that flight."

"What? Why not? Morgan, we've been over this-"

"We found Spencer. We got him."

Without waiting for any details, Hotch sprinted from the car and raced into the lobby, followed by the rest of the team.

Morgan was right.

There on the sofa with Gideon, was Reid. Hotch watched as Gideon tried to console him and he couldn't help but smile for the first time in eight months.

…

Spencer was trying to calm his breathing down like Gideon was showing him, but it was so hard. He was so scared. Walter must have known he was gone and he would come back. He would find him and he would take him and-

"Whoa Spencer, breathe, you're okay. You're safe now," whispered Gideon as he observed the battered agent in front of him.

Safe? No, he didn't understand. No one understood. He needed to leave, they needed to find Walter so that Spencer could breathe again.

But he tried again and managed to stop hyperventilating.

"Now Spencer, the paramedics are coming, and I want you to try to stay calm, because there might be a lot of them doing a lot of things," instructed Jason, watching Reid's reaction. Reid just looked at him with tired large eyes that looked so much older than when he had last seen them.

"Where will they take me?" breathed Reid. This was the first thing Jason had heard him say since he was arguing with the receptionist.

"They will take you to the hospital so they can fix you up. But don't worry," said Gideon who saw Reid beginning to look frightened again. "Morgan and I are going with you and will stay with you the whole time."

Reid relaxed again. He was still nervous, though. He didn't want all those people around him, touching him, hurting him…

Gideon desperately wanted to ask him how he got away, but he knew this wasn't the time or the place. The paramedics came bustling in, making Spencer jump and try to shrink in size, and Gideon knew that before they discussed anything to do with Reid's abduction, he needed to get him through this.

…

_Author's Note:_

_I know, kind of short, but still touching._

_Next chapter will be the examination, I guess. I'll try to have it up there tomorrow._

_More touching moments in next chapter. Pinky promise _

_Once again, thanks to K.P for her awesomeness! _

_Only two more finals to go tomorrow and then I'm free!_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	18. Examinations and Phone Calls

Hotch could tell that the paramedics were scaring Reid. A lot. However, it could be seen that Spencer was trying to stay calm like Gideon told him to. But every time a hand grazed his arm unexpectedly or someone held him down when he struggled, a broken sob escaped the young doctor's lips and his hands began to shake again.

Hotch watched as Gideon held Reid's hand, whispering soothing words to him. They wheeled Spencer outside, where Spencer seemed to try to make himself as tiny as possible. Hotch realized that Reid was afraid of someone seeing him; that someone being Collins.

Gideon seemed to have the same impression and he blocked Spencer from the people's view. Once again, a crowd was beginning to gather. Crowds scared Spencer…

Hotch sighed as he watch Morgan and Jason climb into the back of the ambulance with Spencer, who was still fighting against the paramedic's hands. The doors slammed shut and Hotch was left with the remainder of his team; JJ and Emily.

JJ's face was stark white as mascara coated tears slid down her face. Emily was silent, eyes wide, not knowing what to really say.

JJ wiped her face and suddenly a realization hit her.

"Hotch," she said, her voice quivering.

Hotch looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Garcia doesn't know."

Oh man…

….

"It's okay kid, stay calm, we're almost there," soothed Morgan to the terrified agent in front of him. What had Collin's done to him? He was petrified of everyone around him, eyes wide and flicking from face to face, as if to make sure none of them would hurt him.

There were too many people around him at once…

"Hey, guys!" voiced Morgan, growing irritated. "One at a time, can't you see you're scaring him?"

The paramedics looked frustrated, but backed off. Reid tried to control his breathing, but it was still labored.

Gideon did a visual inspection of Spencer on the way to the hospital, now that there were less people bustling about him.

His hair was longer than he remembered from the last film. But then again, Walter had cut it shorter…

By the way Reid angled his body, it appeared that he had a few broken ribs, or at least cracked. Literally every inch of his body was bruised, from his face to his legs. He had a nasty gash on the right side of his face as well as on his forearm. His wrists and ankles were raw, as if handcuffs or shackles had been on there for a long time. Eight months, probably…

His back was bloody, most likely from a whip. Gideon cringed as he saw the deep scars line his son's back, neck, chest, arms, and legs.

However, the most dramatic change was Spencer's eyes. The once bashful, curious, innocent eyes were now tear-filled, petrified, and older. He had experienced things that no one should even hear about.

Reid jumped at yelled when the doors to the ambulance opened and the gurney began to move. Jason hadn't even realized they had stopped moving.

Morgan and Gideon followed Spencer as they brought him to an empty room and waited for the doctor to come.

A middle aged woman entered the room, with kind eyes but a serious expression on her face.

"This must be Dr. Reid, correct?" she asked, frowning when Reid cowered away from her.

"Yes," said Jason.

"I'm Doctor Reese," she explained, and went to sit next to Spencer, but didn't touch him yet.

"Hi, Spencer. I promise, I'll be as gentle as possible. I need to take a look at your injuries so I can make you feel better, okay?"

Spencer looked up to Jason, who nodded his head, giving him a reassuring smile before Spencer looked at Reese and tentatively nodded his head.

The doctor moved slowly so as not to scare her patient more. She checked his head wound and his ribs. Spencer cried out when she pressed on one.

"I know, sweetie, I'm almost done. I promise."

Spencer continued to let the tears fall as she checked the remainder of his ribs. She moved her attention to his arms and wrists, wincing as she looked at his raw wrists and ankles.

"Okay, I just need to turn you over sweetie."

Spencer nodded and tried to stifle his moan as he showed her his back.

Her eyes grew wide as she took in the scars. She pursed her lips and checked the present cuts.

"Can I talk to you two briefly?" she asked, after assisting Spencer into a comfortable position.

"I don't want to leave him alone, so I'll stay here," said Morgan and the doctor nodded.

She turned to Jason. "Do you think there is any need for me to run a rape kit?"

Jason stood stunned. Was there? Collins claimed to be trying to save Spencer, so Jason doubted it, but he couldn't be sure. The way Spencer cringed away from contact….

The doctor sensed his hesitation. "It's better to know for sure than to avoid it entirely."

Jason nodded mutely, and went back to Spencer. As the doctor explained what she was going to do, Spencer began to sob. "Please don't, h-he d-didn't, I swear, please."

Jason knew that even if he did, Spencer might not have admitted it. The doctor must have known this too, because she replied, "It'll only be a minute and it'll all be over, I promise sweetie."

Spencer gasped and clutched Jason's hand tightly, tears overflowing.

"I'm all done, it's over. I'm just going to take a few x-rays, patch up your cuts and then you can go to sleep. How does that sound?" asked Reese.

Spencer just nodded mutely, eyes still wide and teary. But he was tired, so tired…

Once the rest was done, Morgan sat with Spencer as, finally, he began to fall asleep, eyelids drooping. Spencer hadn't been lying, Collins hadn't done anything that awful to Spencer, but the psychological and physical torture was visible.

"Shush, go to sleep Pretty Boy. I won't leave," soothed Morgan, smoothing out his friend's hair.

"Promise?" murmured Reid, eyes almost completely shut.

"I promise kid."

Morgan stayed the whole time.

…..

"When are my babies going next, Mr. Boss Man?" asked Garcia through the phone.

"Garcia, we aren't leaving quite yet," said Hotch, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What, did you miss the plane?" joked Garcia. Hotch could tell it was forced. Garcia didn't joke like she used to. Hotch got right to the point.

"Penelope, we found Reid."

Silence. And then, "What? Is he alive, oh God tell me he's alive."

"He's alive Garcia, but he isn't okay, not really. He-it's hard to explain."

"I'm on the next plane out there, Aaron. You tell my baby that I'm coming and that I love him and that I miss him and that-"

"Garcia, you can tell him that yourself. He's alive and breathing, and I think seeing the team is what he needs now."

"My baby is home!" sobbed Garcia, blowing her nose. "Okay, I gotta go, my new flight is leaving in an hour, oh my baby-" cried Garcia, hanging up.

Hotch closed his phone and ran a hand through his hair. Loading up the team in the car, he headed to the hospital, happier than he had been in a very long time.

…..

Morgan leaned back in the chair, half asleep himself. It had been a long day…

Screaming woke him up, causing him to jump onto his feet and prepare to attack someone.

Instead, he saw Reid thrashing madly about in his bead, covered in sweat, tears falling, wincing in steady rhythm, like he was reliving the beating.

Spencer was having a nightmare, and he wouldn't wake up. The screaming and sobbing continued, leaving Morgan yelling at him.

"KID! SPENCER! WAKE UP, WE'RE HERE. He isn't here, it's just a dream."

Mercifully, Spencer opened his wide hazel eyes and shot up, pushing himself as far away from Morgan as possible without falling off the bed.

"It's just me, it's Derek. Calm down, Reid," said Morgan, holding up his hands.

Reid seemed to realize who it was after a minute, and, still shaking, his shoulders relaxed slightly.

Slowly, Morgan reached out for Spencer, who was too exhausted to fight back. Morgan pulled him into a hug, whispering soothing words to him as he allowed Reid to cry into his shirt.

What was Morgan supposed to do when Spencer couldn't even sleep in peace?

…..

_FINALS ARE OVER!_

_Thank you thank you thank you to every single one of you who reviewed. Continue to do so and I'll love you for eternity._

_Once again, much love to K.P who, since she doesn't have an account, wrote a hand written review, which was awesome._

_Seriously, you're reviews are the best and they make me smile _

_P.S- tell me if I am dragging this out too much and need to wrap it up. I'm having fun, but I want to make sure I'm not prolonging it too much._

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	19. The Story Part I

Morgan sighed, lying on a couch in a waiting room. He had woken Spencer up four times in the past two hours. It was crazy that the kid couldn't get a moments peace. He would wake up shaking, mumbling that "he", Collins, Morgan guessed, was going to find him and punish him for what he had done and that he was going to be so angry.

"Reid, he's not going to touch you anymore. He can't find you as long as you're with us, okay?" said Morgan, reassuringly.

Reid would nod, but Morgan could tell that he didn't believe him. Eventually, the kid would fall asleep again, only to awake a bit later.

Hotch was watching Spencer now. The team refused to leave him alone just in case Collins showed his face around Spencer. Hotch had told them that they needed to start getting information out of Spencer, because the longer they waited, the farther Collins could escape. That is, if Collins tried to escape. Morgan wasn't sure. He seemed severely dedicated to Spencer's welfare, and if he thought that the team was hurting him, he would try to "save" Reid again.

Morgan heard faint cries from Reid's room. Another nightmare…

Morgan couldn't sleep, even though he was almost dropping with exhaustion. He couldn't sleep if Spencer couldn't. It made him sick to think about how scared Spencer was right now. He was convinced Collins was going to get him again. He wouldn't. Morgan wouldn't let that happen again, ever.

Just then, he heard a voice cry, "Derek, point me in the general direction of my sweet baby."

Garcia was here.

…

"Don't forget, move slowly. He's still jumpy and frightened," explained Morgan.

"Slowly, got it," mumbled Garcia, moving fast, eyes wet with unshed tears.

They reached the door and Garcia gasped. He looked so sad…

He had woken up again, and his face was still wet and his eyes were still wide, looking around him. He jumped when he heard Garcia and looked confused for a minute before recognition dawned on him.

"Oh, Sweet Pea!" Garcia cried, but refrained herself from flinging her arms around him in a tackle that made football players cringe.

"Garcia," whispered Reid and for the first time since they found him, the corners of his mouth twitched, a teeny smile gracing his sad face.

"I'm gonna hug you now, okay? I need to hug you," said Penelope, walking towards Reid and sitting on the end of his bed.

Reid shocked them all by hugging her first, wrapping his too thin arms around her in a tender hug, burying his head in her shoulder. Garcia immediately responded, pulling him in and kissing the side of his head, making sure she didn't hurt his stitches or ribs.

"I missed you all so much," whispered Spencer, and Garcia began to cry. Gideon, JJ and Prentiss entered the room and stood behind Hotch and Morgan, watching the spectacle.

"Oh, Little Genius, we missed you so terribly," she said, choking back the sob that threatened to be released.

"I'm sorry," whispered Spencer into Garcia's shoulder.

"What! Why?" said a confused Garcia.

Reid pulled back and wiped his eyes. "I thought you forgot about me," said Reid, looking down at his hands. He felt so guilty. How could he have thought that? They were his family, and he gave up on them.

"Never. Not for one second did we stop thinking about you, Spencer," voiced Gideon. He couldn't blame Reid for thinking that, though. They failed. They didn't find Spencer. Spencer found them.

Spencer looked up at Gideon, eyes filled with guilt that shouldn't be there, and gave another tiny smile.

"I know that. I'm so sorry," he said again.

"Don't be sorry. We are the ones who should be asking for your forgiveness," said Morgan, who couldn't stand to see the kid thinking like that. "We should have found you by now."

Reid got a dark expression and he seemed to become nervous again. "You wouldn't have found me. No one could find me. That's why I had to find you."

"Spencer," started Hotch, pulling up a seat next to Reid's bed. "How did you get away?"

Reid looked startled for a moment, and then he began to explain.

…

Walter had been watching the TV, and he didn't know that Spencer could hear it from his room, which was bolted, chained and locked multiple times. Spencer made it a point to listen to the news carefully whenever he had the opportunity. They gave the news for the entire area, which included the local states. If he got lucky, he could hear reporters mention his team, and he would know that they were close. That made him feel better; knowing they were on his coast as opposed to Quantico.

Reid realized that they had been sticking to the West coast. Did that mean they were still looking for him? He doubted it, he was probably a distant memory.

If he was really really lucky, he would occasionally hear JJ giving a profile on the news. How he missed her voice, teasing him and calling him Spence. Distantly, Reid could hear her explain the rules of football to him. He remembered when they went to that game so long ago…she had probably forgotten it. But he never would.

Over the past few weeks, Spencer had noticed a change in Walter, and it scared him a lot.

The beatings became more frequent and severe. Walter seemed to be angrier, but Spencer couldn't remember what he had done. Often times, he would be in pain for days before the wounds began to show signs of healing. He didn't know how much more he could take.

Spencer had learned to accept his fate a few months ago. It was clear that no one was going to find him where he was. He didn't fight against Collins' beatings anymore, hoping that that would mean they wouldn't hurt as much. He was wrong.

The most frightening thing however, was the way Walter would now look at him; as if he was a prize or something precious. It made Spencer squirm uncomfortably under his intense stare. Collins had taken to caressing his face before leaving and it left Reid quaking in fear, knowing what Walter was thinking.

Spencer needed to get out of this house and quickly if he wanted to prevent the inevitable.

As Spencer listened to the news, he heard JJ! He gasped and got as close to the door as possible, with the chains binding him to the bed.

She was in Washington State. The whole team was! It was only a few hours away, if Reid could just get to them…

For the past two weeks, ever since Walter's persona began to change, Reid had begun to create an escape plan. It terrified him however. He knew deep down that Walter would find him and when he did… Reid couldn't think about that. He needed to get out.

Spencer had broken a piece of wood off the base of his bed and had begun chiseling off the locks and clasps on the tiny window right above his bed. He had never thought of escape since the time he jumped out of the car. He was too scared of Collins to do anything like that again…

But he was desperate this time. He had no choice.

Walter would leave for a few hours every day, presumably to go to his new job. Spencer knew he didn't work at the police station anymore. That would be like turning himself in.

It was during one of these periods of absence that Reid finally got the last lock of his window. Spencer stared at it, not believing what he had done. Slowly, Reid nicked the sides of his wrists and ankles, using the blood to help slip the shackles off. He was thinner than he used to be, so it wasn't as hard as he imagined it would have been.

Reid stood up cautiously, making sure he wouldn't fall. He hadn't stood in so long…

Reid knocked the window out, and eased himself through the gap. He prayed he would fit, and he did. That was the first time in so long that God had answered his prayers…

Reid looked around him, tears beginning to fall. He was outside. He closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of the salt water wafting off from the shore, only a few meters away. He air was frigid and cold, but Spencer didn't care. He was free.

Without looking back, he began to stumble off the property and ran to the closest road, hiding in the underbrush in case Walter came back and saw him wandering on the side of the road. Even the thought gave Spencer chills of fear.

Spencer looked at the closest road sign. The city the BAU team was in was only twenty-two miles away. He could make it. He had to make it.

…

_Author's Note:_

_The second half of Reid's story will be in the next chapter, promise._

_Last day of school tomorrow, yay!_

_I was thinking of starting another crossover fanfiction with Criminal Minds. I was thinking either CSI, House (even though I know nothing medical), or Marauders from Harry Potter. _

_Tell me what you think or if you have any better ideas._

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	20. The Story Part II

Spencer only walked where he wasn't visible to drivers. There was no way he was going to let Walter find him; not that easily.

Spencer walked as if he was in a daze. He had no concept of time or fatigue. He just kept walking, kept following the road signs pointing to his destination. His feet were torn and bloody, his chest and ribs hurt and his back and legs protested against the exercise, but he couldn't stop.

He refused to hitchhike. He didn't trust those people; they could hurt him, just like Walter did. Or worse, they could turn him in to Walter. He didn't want to go back. He couldn't go back…

Days went by and Reid only slept a little bit, too scared to stay long in one place. He had stopped at the occasional stream, but he was still dehydrated. Every car that passed made him jump and look for a place to hide.

Finally, mercifully, he entered Washington. The police station wasn't far, and he could make it. Then a horrible thought crossed his mind; what if the team had already left? What if their case was solved? How would he find them now?

_Stop it, _Reid mentally chastised himself. He couldn't think like that. They needed to be there. They could protect him, couldn't they?

Spencer let out a joyous sob when he saw the police station come into view. He had been given funny looks from pedestrians, but he was so far from caring. His team, his family, was only a few meters in front of him.

He shuffled into lobby, wincing as he began to feel the pain in his feet. He walked up to the receptionist's desk and asked quietly, "Please, you need to help me. Is the BAU unit from the FBI here?" Please, please, please…

The receptionist barely looked up before answering tiredly, "Nope they left."

Spencer felt his heart constrict. No, this was wrong, they were supposed to still be here…the needed to still be here.

"Gone," whispered Spencer. "You don't understand, you have to help me. He's going to find me. I need to see Gideon. Where is Jason, please tell me," pleaded Spencer, exhaustion finally setting in. He could barely stand anymore.

"Listen, I told you. They left. I have no clue where they went." She was growing irritated now.

"Please, I know he's here!" he pleaded, his voice now muddled with tears. "He couldn't have left yet, please." He was starting to hyperventilate. Walter was going to find him, he was going to kill him, didn't she understand?

The woman sighed, and finally turned her attention to him. "I'm sorry, sir, but they just left. If you'll just have a seat-"

"No I can't! Just tell me, where did they go? Where did Jason Gideon go?" Spencer was hysterical now.

Before the receptionist had time to reply, a voice came from behind him softly. "Can I help you?"

That voice, the voice that had comforted him after so many tough cases, that had mentored him in his college years, that had laughed with him. Jason Gideon, his father….

Spencer wheeled around, stared at Jason for a moment, and launched into him, latching onto his shirt with a death grip and refusing to let go. He sobbed, knowing that, while he wasn't safe, he was better off than he had been for eight months. His family was here, and he wasn't letting them go again.

Spencer buried his face into his father's shirt as Gideon embraced him, crying as well. Things were going to get better now, weren't they?

…..

Spencer finished his story, suddenly feeling drained. He didn't want to remember. Couldn't he just forget? But every time he closed his eyes, he saw Walter with that horrifying expression on his face, whip in hand.

Spencer must have showed signs of panic because Hotch placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Spencer. You're home now, and Walter isn't here. You're safe now."

"No I'm not," whispered Spencer almost inaudibly.

"Yes you are," argued Morgan in a definitive voice.

Spencer looked at him seriously. "No, I'm not. He's going to find me. He always does. He won't let me out of his sight long. He's probably already on my trail," shivered Spencer, wringing his hands and shifting uncomfortably. "He's going to find me and when he does…" Spencer couldn't finish.

Gideon knelt down in front of Spencer and looked him straight in the eye. "Listen to me Spencer. He will never touch you again. We will find him before he finds you and when we do, he'll be in prison before he knows what hit him. You are safe. You need to realize this."

Spencer looked at him and Gideon knew he didn't believe him. "Will you believe me when we catch him?"

Spencer thought hesitantly for a minute before slowly nodding his head. Just then, the doctor walked in.

"I have the results of his x-rays. Can I please talk to you all?"

The team nodded and Gideon remained with Spencer while the team went to go talk to her.

Gideon noticed Reid's eyes beginning to droop. He knew the recent memories had left Spencer drained. Gideon sighed and pushed Reid's hair out of his eyes.

"Why don't you try sleeping again. I'll be here, don't worry."

Reid nodded, but before he fell asleep, he turned his eyes to Gideon.

"Gideon, please promise me something," he whispered, barely able to speak.

"Of course, Spencer."

"Please don't let him touch me. He looked at me and I don't want him to touch me please-" begged Reid quietly, tears forming as he spoke.

"Shh, Spencer. I promise he won't ever hurt you like that." Never would Gideon let him do that. Not after all Spencer had been through.

Spencer calmed down a bit and relief visibly showed. If Gideon promised it, then it wouldn't happen.

"Will you be here when I wake up?" murmured Reid, eyes shut so that Gideon didn't even know if Reid heard his response.

"Absolutely."

Gideon watched Spencer sleep, thinking that this was the most peaceful he had looked since Spencer found them.

…..

_Author's Note:_

_You're reviews continue to mean a lot to me and I loooooooooove reading them, you have no idea._

_To anyone who reads and doesn't review, I would love to hear your opinion on the story!_

_Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	21. The Search and Rage

_I apologize in advance, this will be a short chapter._

_I'm sorry, but the next one will be longer, I swear!_

…_._

Doctor Reese put the x-rays up, displaying images of Reid's bones to the team minus Gideon.

"Both arms have been broken at one point or another and the majority of those have healed nicely. However, his right wrist needs to be set."

The team looked at pictures of Reid's arms. White lines lined to bones like spider webs, swerving up his arms. JJ looked at the pictures, not believing what she was seeing. There was no way they had been broken so many times…

"His legs are fine and all of those have healed as well," explained the doctor. Her face turned grim. She put up the last pictures of Reid's chest.

"His ribs and collarbone however are not in good condition. They have been broken multiple times and the ribs set very poorly. I'm afraid many of them will have to be set."

Hotch cringed as he saw the breaks in his youngest team members' ribs. They were everywhere. Hotch could imagine Collins kicking Reid, deaf to his cries, refusing to answer to his pleads to stop. No wonder Reid was afraid of people touching him…

Morgan was the first to speak. "So what are you going to do?"

"Well, we definitely have to set the bones or else they will continue to cause him pain and discomfort."

"Will it hurt Spencer?" asked Morgan concerned. The last thing he wanted was for Spencer to think that the team was going to hurt him like Collins did.

"He will be asleep, but he won't be able to move much for the next couple of days. He will be in some discomfort but we will give him some beneficial medications."

The doctor left the room and Hotch ran a hand through his hair.

"Once he recovers from his operation we need to get Spencer out of the public hospital and into a protected area," said Hotch to the team.

"Why? The entire FBI team is protecting him," said Prentiss, looking confused.

"Spencer was right about one thing; Walter will not stop looking for him. And having him in a public area is not the best idea. Collins could walk in here anytime he wanted to and he could spot Spencer. No, we need to take him somewhere safer while we hunt Collins," stated Hotch before turning to Morgan.

"Derek, I need you to talk to Spencer before his operation and see if he can tell you anymore details about the house he was held in."

Morgan nodded and went to find Spencer.

"Prentiss and I will go back to the original house we visited and work our way around that area. Walter probably discovered it on one of his journeys out to his uncle's house, so it's most likely nearby."

Hotch turned to Garcia. "Garcia, I need you to check any homes in that area that are vacated or empty. Collins couldn't have held Reid hostage in an active home."

Penelope began to exit the room when she stopped and looked at the team. "You take care of my Sugar while I'm gone. Tell him I'll come by soon, okay?"

Hotch smiled. "Of course." He turned his attention to JJ.

"JJ, make sure the press doesn't find out about Spencer being found. The last thing we want is for Walter to discover the location of Spencer or that he is with us. For all Walter knows, he is still wandering outside on the road."

JJ nodded and went to make sure none of the crowds knew who Spencer was.

Hotch sighed in frustration. He refused to let Walter Collins get away from him a second time. Spencer deserved peace.

…..

Morgan entered the hospital room and looked at the sleeping form of his friend.

"He hasn't woken up yet?" he asked hopefully.

"No, not yet, but he has been having some sort of dreams. Not nightmare, I don't think," said Gideon thoughtfully.

Morgan studied Reid and realized what Gideon meant.

Reid was completely asleep but not thrashing around like he usually was. However, his eyebrows were pulled together, slightly strained and he was softly biting his lower lip. His knees were curled to his chest as far as they would go without Spencer being in pain from his chest. He whimpered gently once, and Gideon smoothed his hair, whispering soothing words. Reid's face lost some of the tension at Gideon's touch and he looked calm again.

"What's he dreaming about?" asked Morgan inquisitively.

"I think he's remembering," said Gideon turning to Morgan. "I think he will be able to help us now."

"You think he'll be ready to talk?"

"I think he is coming to terms with his situation and helping us catch Collins is the only way he can find peace. He always was stronger than he looked," voiced Gideon thoughtfully.

_He surer was, _thought Morgan, smiling down on his friend.

…

Walter threw the lamp against the wall, smashing it into a hundred sharp deadly pieces.

HOW DARE HE? HOW DARE HE RUN AWAY FROM THE ONLY PERSON WHO CARED ABOUT HIM!

A vase smashed against the wall as Walter stormed across the house, letting his anger out.

When he got his hands on that fool, he was going to get it! He didn't realize, after all this time, that Walter was the only one who understood; who cared about Spencer; who loved him…

And how is he repaid? The idiot runs away! Walter had spent hours searching the roads and local places and buildings, but his boy was nowhere to be found. But he would find him and when he did…

As Walter threw the remote across the room, it turned the TV on. The newscaster was describing a serial murder case that was recently solved by the BAU unit from the FBI. Walter froze. He remembered watching coverage of that case a few days ago.

The damn boy must have heard his little blonde friend and gotten the idea of escape into his moronic head. False hope, however, because Walter was never going to let his Spencer go.

Walter stumbled out of the house and into a car. He would get his boy back, no matter what it took and no matter how many people had to go down fighting.

…

_Author's Note:_

_Wala! Hope you enjoyed. I know it was kind of short, but alas, not all may be long-ish…_

_I posted a CSI Criminal Minds crossover, so please read and review. It's only the first chapter but I'll try to update it tomorrow. It'll get better I swear, since it only just began._

_By the way, WE REACHED 200 REVIEWS! I think we should have a party: a toast to the magnificence of SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. Hip-hip- horray!_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	22. He Is Mine

Spencer hated the idea of the surgery he needed to set his broken bones. At first, he adamantly refused, shaking his head viciously, eyes wide as he stared at the doctor's face to Hotch's and back to the doctor's. Surely they couldn't be serious. Why did they want to hurt him?

"Spencer, I swear, you won't feel a thing. You will be completely asleep and when you wake up, we will all be right here, waiting for you. If you want, we can even watch you as you get your operation. You'll never leave our view, I promise," said Hotch gently.

Spencer gulped, and still looked uncertain.

"Spence, when you wake up, you'll feel so much better," said JJ smiling at her friend. "Now, you can barely move without hurting yourself. When this is done, you'll feel more comfortable. We aren't trying to hurt you. We are trying to make you feel better."

Spencer bit his lip, but nodded none the less.

An hour later, the doctor's began to put him to sleep. Gideon held his hand the entire time and smiled as he felt Spencer's grip slacken. Finally, Spencer would be able to sleep peacefully.

….

Hotch turned his attention to Morgan. "Did Spencer tell you anything else about the house or his surroundings?"

Morgan sighed. "Not much we couldn't already guess. He said it was relatively close to the water because he could smell the salt from his room. It was in a small neighborhood, all white houses, which is common for beach houses. He said he didn't get a good look at the house, because he was running away and didn't look back.

"However, distance wise, he said he reached a major road in only a few hours before he began to lose track of time and that it was twenty-some miles away."

"That's good. That's really good," said Hotch. "To know how far he was, it must have said so on a sign. Let me call Garcia."

"I got it Hotch," said Morgan, whipping out his phone.

"Congratulations. You have reached the treasure trove of awesomeness. How may the queen assist the lowly subject?" said a peppy voice on the line. Garcia had made the computer room of the police station her lair, scaring out the lazy officers who ate doughnuts and drank coffee in there.

"Hello, Your Majesty. I have a job for you," said Morgan, smiling.

"Ah, before you do that my dear I have a list for Boss Man."

"She's got news, Hotch!" called Morgan.

"Put her on speaker."

"Hello, my precious. So I have a list of forty-six empty or abandoned homes in the local area. Do you have anything for me to cross-reference with it?"

"Check homes in a twenty to thirty mile radius," said Hotch.

A period of typing until, "I got twenty four. Gotta give me something else."

"How about something near a major road?" said Morgan, looking up at Hotch, who nodded.

More typing. "Fourteen."

"Something right on the water?"

Garcia worked her magic. "Six."

"White, in a small neighborhood, and relatively close to the uncle's house?"

"Houston, we have liftoff. One! 144 Elm Street. It's literally right on the water and fits all your criteria. Oh , my, this is it!"

"Morgan, call Prentiss. We are going over there now. We are going to catch this bastard," said Hotch, already on the move.

"You kick that coward's butt, you got that Handsome? You make him pay for what he did to my baby," said Garcia, almost in tears.

"You got it, Baby Girl," said Morgan, strapping his gun onto his belt.

…

Gideon noticed Spencer begin to stir. Very slowly, the young man opened his eyes and blinked lazily.

"Hey Spencer, you have to stay still for a bit, okay? The doctors don't want you to irritate your stitches."

Spencer nodded sleepily.

"How do you feel?" asked Gideon, concerned.

Spencer looked thoughtful for a moment before looking at Gideon and answering, "Hungry."

Gideon chuckled and replied, "I'll see what I can do, but you know hospitals. The most God-awful excuse for food…"

The corners of Reid's mouth twitched into a smile and he briefly closed his eyes before opening them again.

"Hey, you can rest and I'll see what I can do about getting you some half-way decent food, okay?"

Reid looked at him thankfully and smiled again. He really was very sleepy…

Gideon smiled as he looked at Reid. They were making progress, slowly but surely. Now what would Spencer want to eat? Jell-o possibly…Gideon made sure he didn't make any noise as he silently shut the door to Reid's room.

…..

"FBI! Open up or we're coming in!" shouted Prentiss, motioning for Morgan to do what he does best. As the door went smashing down, the FBI team and local officers cleared the front rooms. Morgan went to the far back room and groaned at what he saw.

It was a simple room, with one bed below a window and a desk in the corner. Glass littered the floor. It seemed as if Collins had a bit of a temper-tantrum earlier. But what made Morgan cringe was the bloody sheets on the bed and the whip lying next to it. Morgan thought of Spencer in Garcia's picture with his awkward smile and wave, his eyes laughing. How could anyone do something so horrible to someone so innocent?

Morgan examined the chains on the bed and noticed the blood. It must have been from when Reid slipped them off. The screen to the window was broken from when Spencer shimmied out. _That-a boy,_ thought Morgan. _Never one to give up were you, kid?_

"Morgan," said Prentiss, entering the room and stopping. Her eyes fell on the whip on the floor. She shook her head and looked at Derek. "The house is clear. Walter's gone. Hotch is getting JJ to broadcast Collin's photo on an emergency news broadcast."

"He's on the move. He's out searching for Reid," said Morgan, his heart sinking.

"We'll get him, Morgan. Don't lose hope now," said Emily.

If Spencer never managed to lose hope during his battle, than neither would Morgan.

…..

The BAU was a team of idiots. Surely they knew that there was only one hospital in the area, so obviously they would take his Spencer here.

Walter gazed at the building. His Spencer was an idiot if he thought that these brick walls could keep the two of them apart. Fate couldn't even do that.

Collins entered the building, knowing that the blonde slut hadn't broadcasted his picture yet. The hospital was relatively small, so Walter didn't have to look far. He smirked as he saw SSA Jason Gideon walk past him to talk to a nurse about food for the young genius. Walter laughed as Gideon walked away with her. What a fool…they could only hurt his Spencer.

Walter eased the door to the room open, and spent a minute examining his boy. He always enjoyed watching him sleep…always so peaceful. Suddenly, as if he noticed a presence in the room, Spencer awoke. As he gazed at Walter, he whimpered and shook violently. Tears filled his eyes and fell down his face as he brought his knees up to his chest and pushed himself as far away as possible. He looked as if he was about to scream until Collins held a finger up to his mouth.

"Shhhh…" he whispered, and Reid obeyed. He always obeyed, like a good boy…

He finally had his Spencer back.

…..

_Author's Note:_

_The end. JUST KIDDING! Wouldn't do that to you all. Duh, duh, duh…How will our team save Spencer?_

_Please please please review! I appreciate them and always take them to heart!_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	23. Have Faith In Me

"No nonononono," whimpered Spencer, as Walter dragged him through the parking garage. He closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them, it would all just be a nightmare and Gideon or Morgan or JJ would be next to him, telling him it was going to be all right.

But they weren't there. When he opened his eyes, he was forced to look at his captor and the face that haunted him in his sleep. They were in the middle of a dark cold parking garage, with nobody around them since it was so late.

Tears streamed down Spencer's face. Not only was he terrified beyond belief, but his ribs hurt as he sobbed. With one last valiant effort, using his only remaining strength, Spencer tried to pull away.

Walter wasn't expecting it, and Spencer managed to hobble a few meters before Walter knocked him to the ground and smacked him across the face.

Spencer yelped, hoping someone would hear him. Gideon promised. He swore Walter wouldn't hurt him again, wouldn't touch him again…but he hurt so bad…

"Defiant now, aren't we?" said a furious Walter, hoisting Spencer up despite his pleas for mercy. "Oh, I know it hurts Spency. But you know you deserve it, right? You ran away, and you need to be punished. But not here. Not now. We'll wait until we're alone." Walter stared at him in that disgusting way that made Reid's stomach churn.

As Collins brought him to the car, Spencer began to plead again. "Please, I don't want to go. I wanna go back, please, they weren't hurting me. They wouldn't hurt me. Please, my family-"

"THEY AREN'T YOUR FAMILY YOU FOOL!" roared Walter, throwing Spencer into the car. "They don't love you like I do! They only hurt you and lie to you. You believe their lies, that they love you and that your special and that they'll always be there for you. But they are LIES! Family only leads to betrayal and pain and hurt, and I THOUGHT YOU LEARNED THAT THE FIRST TIME THE HARD WAY!"

Spencer cringed back in fear as Walter continued his tirade.

"Obviously, I haven't beaten it into you yet. But trust me when we are-finished-" muttered Walter, staring again, "you will know. And you will never want to leave me again."

As they drove out of the garage, Spencer allowed himself to cry, trying to have faith in his team that they would find him as opposed to Spencer finding them. He couldn't wait that long again…

…

"What do you mean he's gone, Jason?" said Hotch, beginning to show signs of panic. He couldn't be gone. Hotch had just seen him less than an hour ago…

"He said he was hungry and I didn't leave for more than ten minutes when I came back and he was gone," said Gideon, wanting to throw up. How could he be so stupid?

He didn't think that Walter would have the guts to show up in a public hospital. It was too risky, with his photo out on the news. But he had been wrong, and because of his idiocy, Spencer was gone again, back to his own private Hell.

"Right now, Prentiss, grab all the security tapes from the hospital. We are going to follow Spencer and Walter blow by blow and follow their car.

"Morgan and JJ, be ready to help Emily when she gets the tapes. We are going to need security footage from other buildings immediately so we can follow the car. We are going to find them today, understood?"

The team nodded as Prentiss went off.

"Morgan, call Garcia. Have her contact all the buildings locally right now. We can't wait. I want those tapes in an hour max. Have her hack into the wyfy if necessary."

"It's all my fault," muttered Gideon, more to himself than to anyone around him.

JJ was about to contradict him when Morgan cut in. "Yeah, it is."

"Morgan!" exclaimed JJ, tears glistening with unshed tears. They didn't have time to mourn.

"You should've known better Gideon," said Morgan, looking furious. Most people became sad in these situations. Derek Morgan became angry.

"I should've," said Gideon, looking down at his hands.

Morgan was about to say something ill-tempered when Hotch cut in. "We don't have time for this. Once Spencer is home and back in the BAU office at Quantico, then we can point fingers. But until then, we need to work together, got it? I'm not going more than a day without Spencer, not to mention eight months," said Hotch passionately. A threat to one member of the BAU team was a threat to all.

Morgan just shook his head and went to call Garcia.

"Jason, I need you at your best, do you understand?" asked Hotch severely.

"I know. We need to catch this guy Aaron. He won't stop until he's dead."

"I know Jason. If it comes to that, then that's what we'll do," said Hotch simply.

Gideon nodded solemnly as Emily walked in.

"Hotch I got the tapes and Garcia is on her way sending us a blow by blow of the car's travel.

Hotch nodded and gathered the team.

….

The BAU team was loaded into one large black SUV as Garcia gave them directions through speaker phone.

"He goes left at Mayberry….keep going past the next two lights….turn right at the next intersection…"

The team had been driving for about ten minutes. They were about forty minutes behind Walter. He had a head start, but Hotch couldn't focus on that now. They needed to find Spencer now and unharmed. Hotch felt ice grip his heart as he remembered Spencer telling them about the way Walter stared at him…he couldn't let that happen to Spencer. He was too young, too innocent…

As Garcia continued to rattle off directions, Hotch could feel them getting closer and closer.

"I got it! In about twenty minutes you will stop at your end location. It looks like a little shack off the main road, so I hope you guys are up for some bumpy terrain."

"Morgan," said Hotch. Morgan was driving. "Make it ten minutes."

Morgan nodded and stomped down on the pedal.

_Don't lose faith yet, Spencer,_ thought a desperate Hotch.

….

Walter smiled. He knew he couldn't take his boy back to the beach house. It had been searched. So he took him out to the shack where his father once taught him to hunt.

Walter gazed at his Spencer for a minute, enjoying the way he squirmed under his stare. He slowly walked up to the boy and pushed the damp hair out of Reid's eyes, wiping away his tears.

"Shhh, don't cry. It'll be over soon. Shh-sh-sh," cooed Walter, as Spencer tried to worm himself away. "Now, I know you know you deserve this. But try to think how happy we'll be together. It'll be over soon," repeated Walter, loosening his belt.

Spencer wailed in dismay and closed his eyes.

_Please please please please find me. Please, I have faith in you, I know you can find me, just hurry please…_Reid silently prayed. _You promised…don't let him touch me…_

…

_Author's Note:_

_I have some very disappointing news. I am going on vacation, to Virginia, ironically, and I won't be back to my beautiful laptop and internet access until Sunday…_

_I'm sorry, but alas, no updates until Sunday…but I promise that when I come back, the first think I'll do is update. Do not think I have forgotten about my beloved story!_

_Hopefully, when I come back I'll have some new ideas as well for more stories, and not just oneshots…actual plot line stories! Horray!_

_By the way, I'm sorry for ending it on a cliff hanger, but that's just the way I roll._

_See that little review button on the bottom? No, father down…yea that's it! You know what you do with it? You press it and then write a….REVIEW! So review pretty please and to those of you who do, I smile upon you and shake you warmly by the hand._

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	24. Decision Time

Morgan sped down the interstate at an alarming speed, with Hotch egging him on the entire way. But there was something that Derek just didn't understand…

"Hotch, I don't get it. Walter says he cares about Reid, so why would he go and do something like this? You know what he is planning," said Morgan, passing through a red light.

"He does care about Spencer and this is the only way he can think of to make sure he and Spencer live happily ever after. He's trying to bind Spencer to him and make him his," said Hotch, feeling nauseated by even suggesting what this guy was going to do.

"BUT THAT'S NOT TAKING CARE OF HIM!" roared Morgan, almost hitting a Smart Car on his mad rampage. "The SOB said he wanted to help him and take care of him, and that we were the ones hurting him. HE is the one hurting him! If we don't make it, I don't know how Spencer-" Morgan choked off his sentence, breathing deeply.

"We will find him Derek, do not second guess that. Spencer has been- amazing throughout this whole ordeal, so much better than we even expected. He's tougher than any of us believed possible. I have faith in him," said Hotch, "but we are going to try to prevent any of this from even happening. Drive faster, we're almost there," said Hotch, listening to Garcia and her directions.

Morgan just nodded, not trusting his voice to be steady yet, and pressed on the petal.

Gideon remained silent throughout the whole exchange. Everything that had happened tonight; it was all his fault. He didn't think anything of it at the time. He just wanted to get Spencer some food… Gideon tried to fight back the urge to hit something; anything.

JJ and Emily sat together in the back. JJ was trying to keep her composure while Emily was tense, ready to pull her gun at any second.

Finally, Garcia's voice said what they were all waiting for; "Turn on the next right and the house should be a couple miles into the rough terrain. Now you listen to me, all of you."

The team looked up, surprised.

"You do everything and I mean _everything _to get my sweet angelfish back, to you understand me? Morgan, kick down every freakin' door. Hotch and Em, go in there with guns blazing. JJ, kick some butt and Gideon, if you don't stop blaming yourself, I will personally kill you. Focus on finding him and save your guilt trip for later."

She hung up, leaving a stunned team behind. But they had no time to focus on what she said. They had reached the house.

It was a dilapidated shack out in the middle of nowhere. A light was on inside and Hotch could vaguely hear yells; yells or sobs, he couldn't tell which.

"Gideon, go through the back. Hurry!" said Hotch, losing his control.

"Go, go, go, now!" ordered Hotch, pulling out his gun and following Morgan to the front door. Morgan immediately struck the door down, but stopped when he saw what was in front of him.

….

Spencer was crying. Nonononono this wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to happen. They had to be here now, as in right now! Then had to get his hands off him.

"Stop squirming Spencer. Try to relax. It'll be alright, shhh," cooed Walter, stroking his face.

Reid pulled his head away from his touch, recoiling in disgust. It earned him a slap.

Walter was struggling with Spencer's shirt when suddenly, he stopped, ears alert and eyes wide. "No, they couldn't have…"

Suddenly, mercifully, Walter pulled his hands away from Spencer's clothing, and instead, produced a gun and placed it to Reid's temple, making Reid whimper in confusion.

The door burst open and his team- his family- came in, guns drawn, equal looks of horror on their face.

…..

Hotch felt his blood run cold. He knew from the profile that Walter was not afraid of death, as long as he took Spencer with him…

"Well, well, well I can honestly say I was not expecting you to find the two of us," laughed Collins. Reid struggled in his arms, only to have an arm tighten across his neck. "I believe you were interrupting something very important Agents and I would appreciate if you left now."

"Not a chance, Collins, you should know that," said Prentiss, eyes focused on the space between Walter's eyes.

"Ah, yes, I did know that, but I couldn't help but try. Now, I do believe two of you haven't gotten your instructions yet, am I right?"

"Are we still playing this game Walter?" asked Hotch, serious.

"Why yes, Aaron, we are. Now Derek, and-Jason? Where is he?"

"He's at the hospital where you abducted Reid," lied Hotch quickly but impressively.

"Yes, it was his fault that I even got my hands on Pretty Boy here, isn't it," said Walter, gently touching Reid's face while Reid fought back, hate filling his eyes. He suddenly wasn't as afraid of Walter as he had been. Now he was just angry. Everything he had become; scared, nervous, untrusting- it was all Walter's fault. He had taken his life away figuratively and now he was going to do it physically. Not if Reid could stop it.

"Ah, well, a minor setback. Now Derek, do you want to know your job? Kill Spencer Reid."

Derek stared at the monster as if he grew an extra head. Did he just say what he thought he said?

"Either you kill him swiftly, or I'll kill him slowly and painfully. Either way he will die, rest assured. It's up to you how he does it though."

"Morgan! Don't do it, I'll be fine. Don't give him what he wants!" shouted Reid, earning him a kick in his back.

"You shut up!" shouted Walter, before returning his attention to Morgan. "So what will it be Derek? Do you want to be responsible for the death or the torture of a loved one, hm?" mocked Walter.

Morgan stared at the scenario in front of him, his gut dropping. He couldn't see a way out of this. He couldn't do that to Spencer. Ever. But could he let him have a horrific death? Could he bring about Reid's suffering? No, Spencer was going to get out of this, one way or another…he had to.

"I'm waiting Derek. I don't like to wait and neither does our little friend here," said Walter, motioning towards Reid.

"Derek," whimpered Spencer through the arm around his throat. "I'll be okay. Please don't, I can handle it. It's okay."

Morgan should be the one comforting Reid, not the other way around! Morgan tightened his grip around his gun and stared into his friend, no his brother's wide eyes. He was so scared, but determination had set into the once broken eyes of Spencer Reid.

"Isn't this touching? But it's time you all learned a lesson. This is what family boils down to; betrayal, pain, and death. It's time to face the truth. So decide Morgan, before I kill what's mine," said Walter.

"Five."

Morgan looked at Reid for some kind of signal, but Reid just closed his eyes and shook his head ever so slightly.

"Four."

He couldn't kill him, but he couldn't torture him…

"Three."

Morgan looked at his team, all confused and uncertain.

"Two."

This was it…

"O-"—"I would suggest putting that down now," came the even voice of Gideon from behind Walter.

What happened next was chaos. Jason stood rooted, gun to the back of Walter Collins' head as he saw the index finger of Walter tighten on the grip of the gun, despite Gideon's presence.

A shot went off.

The room was silent for a moment, the shoot echoing around the small room, as Reid and Walter stood wide-eyed before Walter dropped Reid, who fell loosely to the ground.

Walter Collins fell backwards, a shot through his head, dead.

No one moved for a minute. Then Jason and Morgan ran to Spencer, with Spencer tucked into Jason's chest. Blood had spattered all over the back of Spencer, but he didn't seem to care. He was shaking viciously, before suddenly lurching to the side and vomiting, coughing roughly through his tears.

"Spencer, Spencer look at me." Spencer obliged. "Did he touch you? Did he hurt you? Did he-" Jason couldn't finish.

Still coughing, Spencer only shook his head in a definite 'no'.

Morgan cried out, relief spreading through him before enveloping Reid into a back breaking bear hug.

"I'm so sorry, kid. I didn't know what…"

Spencer hugged him back. "It's okay. I'm okay."

Finally, the BAU team gathered together on the floor around their Reid. Sirens rang out, signaling their backup, but for now, it was only them, together again.

…..

_Author's Note:_

_I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Did you miss me? Epic news, I passed a Quantico sign on my way through Virginia! I spazzed a little, not going to lie…_

_I think it's only fair to give you this warning; I will not be home in a computer accessible space for a lot of the summer. In fact, I'll be leaving at the end of the week for a couple weeks. But I promise to always give you warning before hand and tell you when I'll be back again. When I am here, I'll attempt multiple postings and I'll try to finish this particular story before I leave again. I WILL NEVER ABANDONE A STORY! SO PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP ON ME!_

_That being said, I do in fact have an idea for a new story so…..it'll be out when this is done._

_Thank you to all the reviews and of course, I ask you to review again! Keep MissdaVinci77 motivated!_

_Also, much thanks to madscientist128, who rocks! I'll post soon!_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	25. Revelations

Spencer was brought back to the hospital in an ambulance, accompanied by Morgan, while Gideon sat shotgun next to the driver.

Reid looked exhausted. The bags under his eyes from lack of sleep from the nightmares were alarming, and Morgan knew that many more would follow. His hair was matted against his forehead with blood from Collins, and at first, Reid went into a minor panic trying to get it out.

He couldn't walk around with that thing's blood on him. He had to get it off…But Morgan managed to calm him down and as they drove, Morgan worked on getting the red off of Spencer's face, hands, and shaggy brown hair.

Reid's face was bruised worse than it had been at the hospital, so Morgan pressed gently with the wet rag. Spencer's breathing had slowed considerably than when they found him, but tears still leaked out every now and then. Morgan wiped those away as well.

Every time someone touched Spencer, he jumped slightly and his eyes grew wide with alarm. Then, a frustrated look would fill his eyes and he would look apologetic at whoever touched him unexpectedly.

It was after one of these events that Morgan spoke to Spencer; "It's alright to be scared, kid. But he's gone and he will never touch you again. But don't beat yourself up over your emotions," explained Morgan kindly.

Spencer was silent for a moment before responding. "He made me like this," he whispered so quietly that it almost escaped Morgan's ears.

"What?" he asked.

"Walter. He made me like this. Every touch, every sudden motion, they make me jump and relive what that SOB did to me. Every time I close my eyes, he's right there and I can hear him laugh and I can see his face and I can hear-" stuttered Reid, not finishing his thought, but instead, brining his hands up to his eyes.

"This is what he wanted and I can't do anything to stop it!" exclaimed Reid suddenly. He shifted his gaze to Morgan. "I can't sleep anymore. I can't work, I can't eat without wanting to throw up, and it's because of HIM!" Reid cried, growing more and more angry with each word. Morgan stared at him, mouth agape. He never saw Reid like this before.

"I just want my life back. I want to work without feeling his eyes on me. I want someone to be able to touch me without wanting to shrink away." Spencer looked back at Morgan. "I just want to forget."

Morgan stared back at his friend, whom he missed so much for the past eight months, and answered truthfully.

"You will never forget, Spencer. I know that's not what you want to hear," started Morgan as Reid turned away, tears beginning to fall faster. "-but I won't lie to you. It will take time to understand all of this, but you won't forget. You will learn to deal with it though, and rest assured, I will be there every step with you."

Reid turned to look at him.

"You are tougher than I ever thought possible Pretty Boy. If I know you, it won't be long before you're back at work, drinking that nasty coffee you love so much," smiled Morgan softly.

Reid couldn't help but smile ever so slightly at that. "I do miss coffee," sighed Reid, wiping away the tears.

Morgan chuckled at proceeded to wipe the tears and blood away again. Silence filled the room before Spencer asked the next question that Morgan knew was coming.

"Were you going to kill me?" he said. Reid wasn't angry at all, but curious, eyeing Morgan with genuine interest.

Morgan swallowed roughly before answering, "I don't know." He never felt more guilty in his entire life.

Reid pondered this fact for a bit thoughtfully before responding. " I don't think you would have," said Spencer, still thoughtful.

"How would you know that, kid?"

"Because I know you, probably better than you think I do." Spencer looked at Morgan guiltily. "I know we promised never to profile each other, but sometimes you can't help it. I asked you not to shoot me, because I knew you would listen."

"I usually don't listen very well, Reid," said Morgan, still confused.

"You don't listen to superiors Derek," pointed Reid. "-but I think-I know you would have listened to me in that case."

Morgan stared at Reid almost as if he was seeing him for the first time.

"I remember when you first came to the BAU, Pretty Boy," chuckled Morgan, remembering. Reid also smiled and rolled his eyes. "I swear, I thought it was April Fool's Day. You looked like you were twelve!"

"Fourteen," interrupted Reid.

"Sure, fourteen. I'm sorry I didn't take you seriously at the time. I just kept thinking, 'What was Gideon thinking?' And let me tell you, Elle was pissed, 'cause she thought you stole her position."

"Oh yeah, she told me that," remembered Reid, cringing slightly.

"But after the first case, I knew exactly what Gideon was thinking. You are probably the most important member of our team," said Morgan truthfully.

"That's not true," said Reid, blushing slightly through the black and blue on his face.

"I can think of ten cases right now that we wouldn't have solved without you, kid," laughed Morgan as Reid shuffled awkwardly on the gurney.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm glad you're alive Spencer, and I'm glad you're part of this team."

Reid looked out the window at the street lights zooming by and thought about just how much he loved his job and the people he worked with.

"Yeah, me too," he smiled. Things would get better, and he would learn to deal.

…..

_Author's Note:_

_Okay, so all stories must have an ending, and I'm afraid this story's ending is near. I'm pretty sure the next chapter or two will wrap it up._

_However, I have two new ideas and I wanted to take your comments on which I should start first._

_One is a crime fic with much Spencer and it's creepy and full of awesomeness with one seriously messed up unSub. Pretty violent and the unSub has a mild obsession with our young genius ( but not in a Walter Collins kind of way)._

_Second is Reid's first case in the BAU. Pretty self explanatory, thought of it while I wrote this chapter._

_So! Tell me what you want and I will oblige._

_Once again, the review button beckons for you to tap it, so go forth!_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	26. A Lesson Learned the Hard Way

_Here it is. The last chapter. I will cry the entire time I write it. I'll miss it so much! So read, enjoy, and cry along with me. For the last time, I do not own Criminal Minds, my fellow lovers._

…_._

Morgan was right. He was there every step of the way with Reid, through it all. And it was tough, very tough. For months, Reid would awake with body-shaking nightmares, sweating and feeling the blood from Walter spatter on him before vomiting in the bathroom. Morgan had taken to staying overnight with the kid until his dreams died down a bit.

And they did, eventually.

After much argument, Reid still refused to use any kind of sleep medication. In fact, he refused all medications in general; anything that he could become addicted to.

Also after much debate, Reid accepted the help of a therapist. At first, it terrified him to have to talk to a psychological doctor. He felt as if he was turning into his mother…but after a few weeks, it began to help him.

In the first sessions, he didn't say a word, fearing the doctor would stare at him, realize he had lost his mind, and tell him he needed to be institutionalized. He couldn't handle that happening. But after a few sessions, the doctor broke through to him and got him talking. When he went home that night, he dreams weren't as bad as they were before.

Of course, it took a long time for the dreams to go away, and they never really did. He would still wake up occasionally, reliving parts of his captivity. But now he could handle them better than before.

He had a few months medical leave, which he loathed, but silently admitted that he needed. But he wanted to work so bad, it hurt. He needed something that he could focus on, that he could solve. His brain was numb from lack of using, it was driving him crazy!

Then again, the team always made sure to keep him busy. Not a day went by that not one of them visited and stayed with him for a while. In the beginning, Morgan stayed overnight, so he was always there. Garcia was a frequent visitor, often brining along cookies, brownies, or the occasional espresso. Gideon was there almost every day, and his presence often calmed Reid. He didn't blame Jason for what happened. He didn't blame anyone…

Every weekend, the entire team would come together at his house for whatever movie Garcia picked out. This was such a popular tradition, that it continued even after Reid went back to work. Nothing was better than watching Morgan jumping out of his seat from a _Halloween _movie. It was priceless…

Reid's wounds healed, physically and emotionally, with time. None of it would have happened without his team, his family next to him the whole way. And eventually, he went back to work. He settled back into his routine, and was able to go back to what he loved.

The scars would always be there, on his flesh and in his soul, as much as he hated the thought. He learned to accept this, however. Walter Collins help make him who he was, and, amazingly, Walter did teach him a lesson.

The lesson was this, simple and easy;

Spencer Reid had a family. He had a mother who loved him. He had six caring BAU team members who have showed countless times, their dedication to him and their love. His family would never betray him, hurt him, or wish him ill will.

Yes, Spencer had a family, and for this, he was incredible fortunate.

…..

_Author's Note:_

_That's it. I am literally heart-broken this is over, because this is my first full-length story. I know that I hate it when stories end, but remember that I have more on the way._

_I truly hoped you enjoyed reading it, because I know I loved writing it. The people who reviewed helped me so much it's impossible to say how thankful I am._

_For the last time for this story;_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


End file.
